


For Red or for Blue

by jaysavage



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Aphrodisiacs, Daddy Kink, Hurt/Comfort, Lance is a tough boy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Pining, Sex Work, Underground fight club au, i dont really know how to tag this, its like mild lol, keith is trying his best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-10-19 17:42:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10644855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaysavage/pseuds/jaysavage
Summary: Pretending not to be in pain, pretending like love doesn't drive your every move. Hoping the other won't catch on, won't understand why your hands are more gentle when you're with them than when you're in the ring- But still hoping that he won't think you use him.





	1. It's not fashionable to fall in deep.

**Author's Note:**

> For added effect, listen to Lana Del Rey's honeymoon album while you read if that's your cup of tea- bc thats what i'm listening to as i write this. Hope you like it!

_ It was hot.  _

_ It was so, so fucking hot. _

_ But his fingertips were cold, numb, and his fists were shivering. _

_ Tremors rang through his veins, awaiting the next collision.  _

 

_ It was loud.  _

_ It was roaring in his eardrums, he could feel it in his throat.  _

_ But when it came time to listen to the voices that cried out for or against him, It was silent.  _

_ Nothing but that ringing, high pitched tone that bit at his nerves and tightened his vision. _

 

_ Speaking of vision, it was red.  _

_ Red, red, red.  _

_ From cool crimson to cherry candy piercing, red.  _

_ Be it the blood in his eyes or the fire in his lungs, he saw red, the blue boy saw  red .  _

 

_ But, it  was blue, too.  _

_ It was blue in the way his lips were tinted from the cold.  _

_ Blue in the way that the most evident veins showed themselves beneath the skin,  _

_ Begging for exposure as the red, red anger pushed them through.  _

 

_ He was tight, wound up.  _

_ When fists reeled back, edging for contact, he loosened.  _

_ Everything fell away with that delicious, absolutely deserved,  _

 

_**Crack.** _

  
  


The second Lance’s temple impacted on the ground, he knew he had to tap out. But that’s not what his body did. Give up? Lance? That didn’t sound like him. The only instance that his palm hit the floor was to get his battered husk of a body back onto it’s feet, as shaky as the ground did feel under his weakened stance. The silence was there, but his ears buzzed with the sound that roared around him. He could barely place the shape of the lips that spoke to him. He didn’t hear it but he saw. 

“Stay down.” 

Down he went, and down he stayed, sprawled and smirking like he hadn’t lost anything to anyone at all. 

 

\---

 

“Lance, you should slow down.” Hunk’s fingers smoothed down the hot towel that he had lain over Lance’s back seconds before. He hoped to help with the pain, and also the blood, seeping and spreading through the worn fabric like a fast blooming flower. He sighed, rolling his shoulders back as he applied pressure to Lance’s spine, checking Lance’s expression when he heard a pop. He wiped at Lance’s back, smoothing down his spine before he drew the heated cloth over his shoulders. Dirt and grime taken care of, he stuck band-aids-  _ hello kitty _ band-aids, mind you- to the cuts and scrapes over Lance’s back.  “Better?” Hunk asked, and Lance nodded, his smile widening. 

“Thanks, man.” Lance sighed, shifting up onto his palms. He felt the sting on his knuckles when the pressure shifted to them, so he got up quickly. A little too quickly, slumping forward as his head filled with lead, and Hunk held him up, sighing deeply at his friend’s state. 

“Thanks for the first aid or the shitty advice?” Hunk asked, leaning Lance carefully against his bedroom wall. Lance was still smirking, his hands shaking and shifting to peel the wraps from his fists. They came away a nasty shade of brown, and Lance hissed as they peeled back on fresh wounds. Hunk hissed out a sharp breath, grabbing for Lance’s hands to dip them in the bowl of water he’d brought in. He’d done this a thousand times, cared for Lance when he came home a mess. He’d told him a thousand times to be more careful, to check that his knuckles were wrapped correctly, but did Lance listen? Never. 

“Thanks for the first aid, and your advice isn’t shitty. It’s good advice for someone smarter than me.” Lance said, his voice groggy, but playful all the same. He smirked up at his friend, lucky he hadn’t gotten hit in the face, so he could see well enough. The double vision was fucking with him, though. 

“You’re killing yourself- Ugh, this looks infected...” Hunk grumbled, thumbs smoothing over the crusted blood, breaking it up and getting underneath. Lance didn’t make a sound, not at the saline Hunk had mixed into the hot water, not at the tearing, sticky scabs. He tensed, his throat tight before Hunk pulled his hand out and wrapped it in another towel. Lance closed his eyes then, just as the crimson blossomed under Hunk’s thumbs. “Will you at  _ please _ take a break? These still haven't healed from last week, and you’re only making it worse. I know you need the money, Lance, I  _ know _ you want to help your mom, but you need your body  _ more _ . Like,  _ actually _ need it.” Hunk grumbled, and Lance let out a small chuckle, eyes fluttering open again when he felt Hunk putting cream over the wounds.

“Oh I dunno about that, dude. I could  _ absolutely _ just astral project myself into this plane of existence sometime, I’m sure. Who needs a physical form-” Lance started, laugh on his voice before it was shocked out of him, Hunk’s hands tightening over the wound to ring pain down to his toes. 

“It’s not a fucking  _ joke _ , Lance. I know everything’s a joke with you- usually, I’d laugh at that! But not right now. Not right now, when you’re half fucking dead in my room and hardly breathing!” Hunk yelled, his voice coming with an uneasiness that made Lance sick to his stomach. Hunk hastily taped gauze to his knuckles and shifted, eyes back down to Lance’s hands. Lance stayed quiet, his eyes shut again as Hunk took his other hand, being a bit more rough this time as he undid the wraps and dunked it into the water. Lance tensed and swallowed hard, body finally giving into the pain as shivers rolled over him. Hunk eyed Lance for a moment before he pulled his hand out, wrapping it in a towel. 

“I’ll lay off.” Lance mumbled, and Hunk watched him, watched Lance’s jaw twitch as he fought back his reaction to the pain, his adam's apple bobbing every time he swallowed back the whimper that threatened him, stinging his eyes and pinching in his nose. 

“Thank you.” Hunk sighed, tossing the towel away to spread cream over his hand, then tuck the gauze over his knuckles carefully. “While you’re on a roll of listening to me for once, can you get yourself some better band-aids? Keith’s gonna find out that you’re taking his band-aids, and Hello kitty doesn’t work very well for this kind of injury.” Hunk said, smile finally quirking the corners of his lips. Lance looked up at him for a split second, then smiled again, laugh slipping from his lips. Hunk sighed and smiled to him, watching the shake of Lance’s shoulders slow, watching the tensity of his muscles calm, and his eyes fell closed for a few moments. 

He laid Lance on his side, covering him with the comforter before he got to his feet, watching over him as he slept for a few moments. He finally left, retreating to his couch, letting stress seep out of him and onto the rough fabric beneath him as he finally laid himself for a rest as well, red letters reading four AM on the television set clock. 

He wondered where the fuck Keith was, at this hour of the night.

Or morning. Whatever it was. 

 

\---

 

Turns out, Keith was climbing through his window right about then, having locked his stupid ass out of the apartment complex. He shucked off his jacket roughly, his boots flying to either corner of the room. He tugged a stack of bills from his coat pocket from the floor and reached for his lock box, rolling his thumb over the set of numbers before it clicked open for him to put the money in. He stuffed it inside and undid the velcro on his gloves, flinching a little at how tight he had closed them. He rubbed his hands together before he turned toward his bathroom, heading in to turn the shower on. 

His night had gone... alright. He smiled to himself as he tugged his hair from the ponytail, then stripped off his dirtied clothes, kicking the sweaty, glitter coated garments to the corner of the bathroom. He had had plenty of clients that night, he always did. He had been planning on meeting up with Pidge, but that fell through when someone offered him a bottle of  _ really _ overpriced wine. Things only got fuzzier from there. He recalled quite a few men and their hands on him, but not their names or faces. He would have to apologize to Pidge later for standing her up like that. Not that he had meant to.

_ Just push it back, push it back.  _

He sighed as water streamed over his face, his hands blindly but accurately grabbing for shampoo. He scrubbed it through his hair, stretching and popping his left shoulder with a grunt before he rinsed it out. His bar of soap was worn as he dragged it lazily over his body, stomach rumbling after he dragged a soapy hand over it. He glanced down, noting a fresh bite mark on his hipbone. Whom that might have come from, he had no idea. Nor did he care. He was more interested in getting food in his stomach. 

_ Would Takashi still be proud of me? _

Keith flicked the water off when he decided he was clean enough, stepping out with a towel wrapped around his waist. He squeezed his hair dry and rubbed it down with a hand towel, but didn’t bother to do much more than than, returning to his room to get himself something to wear. Sweatpants it was, seeing as he still hadn’t done his laundry yet and Lance was stealing all of his damned clothes. That guy really needed to get his own place- though he didn’t quite mind having him around as much as he used to. Besides, he made a mean coffee in the morning.

Keith cracked his back with a yawn and headed out, as quiet as he could, toward the kitchen. He passed by Hunk on the couch, sneaking through the room to grab himself the bread and a bit of sliced turkey from the fridge. He tugged the bread out and slapped a messy sandwich together, stopping short in front of his lips when he realized whom he had walked past on the couch. 

_ Lance was usually on the couch.  _

_ If Hunk is on the couch, is Lance in Hunk’s bed?  _

_ Why would Lance be in Hunk’s bed?  _

Keith all but threw his sandwich onto the counter, turning on his toes as he snuck toward Hunk’s room. He took a second glance at the man on the couch to make sure he had seen it right, swallowing hard when he pushed the bedroom door open a crack. He glanced over to the bed, and sure enough, Lance was there, upright and breathing hard. His eyes flicked to the doorway, and Keith decided he couldn’t back out now. He pushed the door open all the way, and didn’t even manage a smile before Lance looked away from him.

“Hunk’s on the couch… You kick him out of his bed?” Keith asked, a teasing tone on his voice. Lance just shrugged, his hands smoothing over his legs through the blankets. Keith noted the bloody gauze on his hands and his smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

“Uh, not sure. I think I passed out on him on accident. I’m gonna go get him, though, poor guy can barely fit on that thing comfortably.” Lance laughed, glancing around before he pushed the blankets off, shifting his legs to the edge of the bed. Keith noticed the way Lance’s muscles tensed when he moved, the way his jaw ground together when he tried to get to his feet. He was already making his way toward Lance when he saw his knees buckle, and Keith caught him under his elbows, setting him back. 

“Why don’t you just lay down, man. You don’t... look so good.” Keith mumbled, his throat tight as Lance didn’t even fight back at him, just sat back down, hands tight on his knees. 

“Got any painkillers?” Lance asked, his voice genuine and tired as Keith let his arms go. Keith nodded, turning back out the door. He shut it behind him so Lance didn’t see the way his hands shook as he got the red and blue pills from a bottle. So he didn’t see the way Keith flicked the faucet way too hard to get him a glass of water, hand tapping impatiently on the sink. So that Lance didn’t see how he jogged back toward Hunk’s room before he opened the door cooly, handing everything off to Lance. “Thanks.” 

Just like Lance was pretending to be in less pain than he actually was, to act like he was feeling just as fine as he wanted to be- Keith was hiding his worry, the pain in his chest and the tightness in his throat. He was hiding the way Lance made his heart thud against his ribcage, be it from happiness or gripping fear. 

“How bad was it? Get your ass whooped?” Keith asked, smirk on his lips as he looked down at Lance, swallowing back the pills. Lance kept that smirk on his lips, though they were cracked and it hurt, he kept it up. 

“Only a little. Really! I made it three rounds with the guy, but his stamina- Lotor’s no fucking joke.” Lance laughed, leaning back a little to look up at Keith, who just nodded to that, his eyes wandering over Lance’s torso, at the purple bruise blooming over his chest, down to his stomach. He felt his chest clench, throat stinging at they way Lance tried his best to mask this from him. From everyone.

“Why are you so intent on beating him?” Keith asked, hand reaching out to fix Lance’s hair, getting the bit that stuck to his forehead pushed back, so he could see better. Lance just shrugged, wincing at the rise and fall of his own shoulders.

“It’s just… something I have to do.” Lance sighed, reaching out to grab for Keith’s hip. His thumb pushed over the bite mark, and Keith noted a change in his expression. It flickered for a second, be it anger or jealousy, but it was dark, and Keith hadn’t missed it. “Who gave you that?” Lance asked, peeking up at Keith through his lashes. His smirk was plastic now, and his baby blues told Keith everything. 

“Don’t remember.” Keith mumbled, and Lance’s lips came to kiss his other hip, followed by teeth, and a growl that drew Keith’s fists into Lance’s hair. He let out a quiet gasp to the sting of pain and tingle of excitement that snapped through his body. Lance pulled back with a smile and a lick of his lips, hand still tight on Keith’s hip, though it shook slightly with a weakness that Keith was sure Lance didn’t want him to feel. “The hell was  _ that _ for?” Keith breathed, and Lance chuckled, his smirk back to genuine snarkiness. 

“Gotta match, dude. Symmetry is  _ everything _ .” Lance teased, and Keith rolled his eyes, stepping back before Lance jerked him forward by the band of his sweatpants. “Did you have fun tonight?” Lance asked, and Keith hesitated. “Trick question, I know you did.” Lance laughed, tugging Keith down by his forearm. Keith let himself be tugged around, Lance’s touch like fire on his body. And if Lance’s fingers were flames, Keith was a pyro, dying to play with them. 

It wasn’t long, it was never long, before Lance was pulling Keith down by his hair, pressing his lips roughly to Keith’s, his hands locking Keith in. Well, he wasn’t exactly  _ locked _ in- Keith could leave anytime he wanted. He just… didn’t want to. He didn’t know what this was for  _ Lance _ , but for  _ himself _ , he knew it was something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. He wasn’t supposed to be letting himself fall into it like this with someone who didn’t feel the same way. But for someone like Keith, who spent an awful lot of time trying to numb himself from the way the world felt, he craved the feelings Lance gave him. 

He craved the urging flame that rose from Lance’s lips and into his own, for the heat that was pressed into his skin by rough fingertips and careful hands. He didn’t know what made Lance different from all the other men he was with. He didn’t know why Lance acted like anything that happened within the walls of any given bedroom they were alone in, didn’t exist when they left. 

Lance had to have felt it- he had to have felt the way Keith did.

 

And god, did Lance feel it. 

The coolness that Keith’s hands brought over him, like waves crashing over sunburnt sand in the middle of July. The hard, silencing calm that Keith’s palms against his cheeks brought to the angry screaming of his thoughts. Keith’s eyes could cut holes into him and stitch him back up all in one short instance. His smile, his laugh, could heal any hurt that Lance had succumbed to. He always wished for Keith, craved his touch when he was in the worst pain. It felt dangerous. It was almost a hunger for him, and Keith had been the perfect thing to satiate him for a while now, always going soft under Lance’s hands as he grabbed and moved him as he pleased.

He kept his emotions in check, though. Because why, why on earth would he want anything to do with Lance other than the occasional bedroom session? He had plenty of men to fuck around with- Hell, that was Keith’s  _ job- _ And Lance was only fucked with out of convenience, he knew that much. Keith seemingly ignored his flirtatiousness when they were together in front of other people. Lance had come to the conclusion that Keith was only there for physicality, and knew emotions were something that Keith didn’t really do. Lance could accept that.

What he couldn’t accept, was the ever growing marks on Keith’s body in places that no one could see when he had his clothes on. He hated the way he felt when he came back to Hunks apartment and Keith wasn’t there. He hated thinking about what Keith was doing. With other men. Other men that weren’t Lance- even though he knew it was Keith’s job and Keith supposedly liked doing it. 

He did his best to show Keith what he wanted, through the only language they both spoke fluently- physical contact. Though the dialect was different, Keith speaking with the sway and roll of his hips, the expert dance of his fingertips- and Lance spoke with the grip of his scarred fists and the curiously gentle way his palms moved over Keith’s arching torso. 

What Lance did appreciate, though, when Keith was done with him, done kissing, touching, whatever he had wanted to do, that he didn’t just leave. Being alone for Lance was like a prison sentence. 

Keith slipped away from his lips and smoothed his hands over Lance’s burning biceps, his hands soothing the ache he felt. He laid down, head in the crook of Lance’s arm.

They never spoke, not after they were finished. Lance sighed and let his eyes close, turning to press up to Keith’s back, his free arm wrapping around him. Lance was too exhausted to choose his words carefully, his fingers slipping lazily into the waistband of Keith’s pants. He let out a yawn into the back of Keith’s neck, and he felt Keith tense up a bit, so he pulled back, but Keith’s hand was on his wrist, pulling him back closer. 

“Sleep. Here.” Keith mumbled, and Lance closed his eyes, his nose pressed to the nape of Keith’s neck. He smiled to himself, but soon it faded off, and sleep washed over him quickly. He barely felt his body slip away before he was drifting, clinging to Keith in more ways than just one. 

Keith stayed awake for a while, wondering how he could figure this out. 

How he could figure out what they were to each other, without giving in to each other.

 

\---

 

And he woke not long after, to an angry, fast banging on the bedroom door. Oh man, had he locked it behind him? Hunk must be worried sick. Keith rose up on his palms with a groan, his lower back aching as he sat up. He was about to step from the bed, but a hand tight on his wrist stopped him. He glanced back, Lance’s tired eyes watching him from his place in the pillows. 

“Lance! Keith’s not in his room! Did he text you if he was okay?” Hunk cried, rattling the doorknob. Lance just shut his eyes, pulling Keith back to the bed. “Lance?” He heard again, and Keith hesitantly moved closer, letting Lance’s arm wrap around his waist. 

“Yeah- yeah he texted me. He’s fine.” Lance called, his voice absolutely wrecked. He chuckled at himself, clearing his throat before he spoke again. “I’m just gotta sleep a little longer, okay?” Lance called, and he heard Hunk’s sigh from the other side of the door. 

“Okay… but it’s already three, so hurry it up! I’ve got work tonight, too, so you’re on your own for dinner.” Hunk called, tapping the door before he turned away. Lance just sighed and settled into the bed, his hand finding its way to Keith’s hip. If his body had hurt last night, it was ten times worse, now. He’d have to walk it off, he couldn’t stay in bed all day. 

“We can wait till he leaves.” Keith mumbled, sighing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. What a mess. He was trapped in Hunk’s room now, but that meant Lance was, too. “Do you need any medicine? I’m sure Hunk has something in here.” Keith whispered, getting up to dig around in Hunk’s end table. Lance just watched him, exhausted and aching. He was glad Keith was here to help him, but he felt so guilty that he had trapped him here. “You still have the water from last night…” Keith mumbled, fishing out two pills for Lance, then handed them over. He couldn’t help but notice just how gross Lance’s gauze had become. 

“Thanks.” Lance swallowed the pills and chased them with a sip of stale water, then did his best to sit up and lean up against the wall. “He doesn’t leave for a couple hours, though. You gonna last that long in here?” Lance asked, smirk spreading over his lips. Keith rolled his eyes, getting to his feet to get Lance’s coat, blood on the sleeves making him wrinkle his nose. 

“With you, maybe not. With this-” Keith grabbed a box of cigarettes from the inner pocket, along with the lighter Lance had. “Maybe it won’t be so bad.” Keith was sure to keep his voice quiet, but he could hear the radio playing in the kitchen, so he was sure Hunk wasn’t able to hear them. 

“Oooh, tobacco for breakfast- my favorite!” Lance chuckled, and Keith frowned, handing him a cigarette and taking one for himself. He stuck it between his lips and flicked the lighter, smirking as Lance did the same. It was obvious his hands were in no shape to handle anything as intricate as a lighter, so Keith leaned down over him, touching the end of his smoke to Lance’s and Lance sighed deep, the end turning a glinting red as he drew in a breath. He took it from his mouth between his fingers lazily, smiling up to Keith as the other man moved to open the window. “Mnn, just like momma makes.” Lance joked, and Keith scoffed, flicking his ashes out the open window. 

Lance’s eyes raked over Keith’s back, the way his sweatpants hung low on his hips, the littering of bruises around his hips. He thought about how they had mutually agreed that their weird physical ‘relationship’ was something they didn’t want Hunk, or anyone, knowing about. He don’t know how he managed to get to his feet, but he did, groaning and stepping toward the window, flicking his cigarette just as Keith had. Keith was painfully aware of the fact that Lance was close to him, very close. He arched forward and leaned on the window sill, smoke stuck between his lips as he felt Lance’s hands move to his waist. He felt something stiff against his ass, and a smirk grew over his lips, head dipping down as he pushed his hips back, arching for Lance as his hips pressed tighter to Keith’s ass. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be recovering from getting your ass beat?” Keith asked, his voice a quiet laugh before he quieted again, Lance’s hands pushing his sweatpants down, gathering around his ankles quickly. 

“Like I said, Hunk leaves in a few hours. How else are we supposed to pass the time?” Lance asked, thumbs tugging Keith apart. Keith just sighed and laughed at that, watching Lance’s half burned cigarette flick past his head and down into the alley below. He leaned back and pushed Lance’s waist back, and he moved for him, both of them rifling through Hunks stuff for a condom and some sort of lube. Keith found plenty of condoms, and Lance came away from the search with watermelon flavored lube and a wiggle of his brows. Keith just laughed and shoved him, both of them quietly deciding the window was where they’d continue. Keith leaned back over onto the window sill and let Lance work him, both of them too lazy for any sort of foreplay. Lance was already hard and Keith was willing, with nothing really better to do. And if he had to have some sort of in depth conversation with Lance about anything, he was sure it’d end in disaster or a confession that neither of them wanted to deal with. So he settled for this. 

He didn’t so much settle for it as he  _ begged _ for it, rocking his waist into Lance’s slow moving fingers, noting how stiff they were compared to times before. Keith’s cigarette dropped out the window and he licked his lips, pressing his hips back slightly. He felt bad almost, making Lance prep him when his hands were in such a state, but Lance didn’t seem bothered by it. Maybe it was the medicine kicking in. When Lance pulled back after only two fingers, Keith glanced back, watching Lance roll the condom over himself. His hands were working awkwardly, so Keith turned, rolling it the rest of the way for him. He brushed his thumb over the piercing under the head of his cock, getting a jolt from Lance. 

“How’re your hands, hotshot?” Keith asked, tone teasing as he looked up at Lance. Lance just shrugged and let Keith turn in his arms. “You just hold these-” Keith mumbled, guiding his hands onto his hips. “I’ll finish this.” Keith murmured, lubing his fingers before he slipped them back, easing two inside. Lance watched, licking his lips as Keith’s hand rocked against his ass, and Lance couldn’t stop the groan that came from deep in his chest. He watched Keith add another finger, spreading and stretching himself enough to fit Lance perfectly- they’d done this enough times now that he knew how much he needed to work himself. Four fingers now and he was drawing them back, his hand slipping over his ass lazily to tug it apart. 

“Hunk better not hear us.” Lance mumbled, pressing in without much warning. Keith gasped, and Lance’s hand pushed over his mouth, leaning over him as he pressed completely into Keith. “That means you need to shut it, for once.” Lance’s tone was cocky, and his breath on Keith’s ear made him groan again, voice trapped behind Lance’s fingers. “Can you do that?” Lance asked, and Keith’s eyes fell shut, his heart hammering against his chest with a sudden thud. It was like Keith had been asleep, and Lance woke something up in him that knocked his knees together and rattled his nerves alive. Lance’s hand finally came away from Keith’s lips, returning to his hip. 

“Yes.” Keith answered, his fingers gripping tight to the window as Lance drew his hips back, then pushed forward, his hand smoothing up Keith’s back before it was back to holding his hips tight. Lance set a deep, lazy pace into Keith, noting how he kept his head lowered, lip bitten to hold in the moans he wanted to set free. If Lance had learned anything from being Keith’s fuck buddy on speed dial, he’d learned that Keith was loud, and loved to be loud. He had also learned that a slow pace was not something Keith was used to, but  _ was _ something he enjoyed. 

He smirked as Keith lost his grip, hands weak as he flopped forward, and Lance stepped back a bit to let Keith rest his chest on the window, his hands in his hair as he fought back his moans. Lance pushed right up against Keith’s sweet spot, pushing a hand down around his thigh to grip his cock. The reaction was instant, Keith’s moan slipping through and into his bicep as Lance started to stroke him. He spoke something muffled, and Lance hadn’t missed it, leaning down to kiss the nape of his neck. 

“What was that?” Lance breathed, and Keith shifted back slightly, causing Lance’s hips to meet him a little harder in the middle. “Harder?” Lance asked, his grin evil as he slowed his hips even more. Keith shuddered, fucking himself back on Lance now, and Lance let him, stiffening his hips so Keith could set a pace himself. The frustrated moans were enough to make Lance’s hips twitch on occasion. “If you use your words, I can do it for you, Keith.” Lance sighed, taking a few moments to admire the arch of Keith’s back, and the way he looked stretched tight around Lance’s cock. 

“Please,  _ please _ , Lance, I want it harder-” Keith gasped, straining to keep his voice quiet as he fucked himself back. Usually, he wasn’t like this. He set the pace himself, he never struggled with anything- this was what he thought he was best at. But when it came to doing this with Lance, he let Lance take over, and wanted nothing more than for  _ Lance _ to work for  _ him _ . Lance always obliged. 

“Yessir.” Lance mumbled, snapping his hips forward, his hand still stroking Keith, though now it was faster, his fist a bit tighter. Keith bounced of his hips, body drunk with the way Lance made him feel. He reached back, hands finally uncurling from his own hair as he gripped Lance’s wrist. He wanted to hold his hand. He wanted Lance to lean over him again and kiss him again, his stomach curling with the urge to turn and beg for his lips on his. He dropped his head, settling for this instead. 

Lance licked his lips and swallowed hard, watching Keith’s fingers tremble around his wrist. He groaned, leaning down again, horrible at self control as he pushed a kiss to Keith’s ear. He turned his head for him, and Lance pushed their lips together quickly, letting Keith drown him with the moan that slipped from his lips and into Lance’s mouth. 

And in turn, Keith let Lance’s fire boil him alive, and both of them left their tentativeness at the door. Lance’s hand tangled with Keith’s, tight as he fucked into him and jerked him, though now he was doing too many things at once so the tempo was a bit off. Keith hadn’t realized just how hot he’d gotten, the push and pull of Lance’s lips rattling his brain until he was coming and he wasn’t prepared, making a mess of Lance’s hand and the wall in front of him. He had somehow managed to keep himself quiet, mouth open in a gasp as Lance kissed at the edges of his mouth. 

Lance was just as surprised, his hand slowing on Keith’s member before he let him go, slipping back slowly before he was out of Keith, cock twitching. Keith took a moment to breathe, noticing Lance’s condom fly out the window next to his head before he turned, watching Lance wrap his own hand around his cock. Keith licked his lips and reached for him, but Lance surprised him with a kiss, jerking himself quickly. Keith was melting now, his hands moving to cup Lance’s jaw, thumbs pressing over his cheeks as they kissed, and thought about just how fucked he was as Lance’s moan ripped through his throat. Keith felt the heat splatter over his chest and chin and he smirked, pulling back from the kiss to watch Lance’s face, blissed out and exhausted. 

He stayed like that for a moment before Lance stepped back, grabbing some tissues for Keith. Keith took them and cleaned himself up, trying his best to ignore the thick silence that fell between them. They’d been kissing more lately, but that was something different, and Keith knew it. He felt like he stepped out of line- he should have gotten on his knees and sucked Lance off, not kissed him like that- 

“That was good.” Lance mumbled, leaning to peck Keith on the cheek before he moved back to the bed, sitting down and grabbing for his phone. He adjusted his boxers awkwardly, scrolling through whatever app he was looking at. Keith cleaned himself up, the kiss Lance had left on his cheek burning a hole through him. It was unfair, really. Did Lance feel the same? “Hey, do you wanna watch a movie? I have Moana on here.” Lance offered, looking up to Keith as he pulled his sweatpants back on, and Keith just looked at him like he had three heads before he laughed and gave a nod. Lance just smiled and settled back on the bed, waiting for Keith before he found the movie in his phone, hitting play and setting it up on the end table. 

Lance noted how Keith kept his distance. 

Keith felt it every time Lance shifted closer. 

Neither of them could figure out what the hell to do next, but they both settled for  _ this _ . 


	2. I want to see your shine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where we learn about keith a little

It was neon, and he hated it. 

But pale was boring, wasn’t it? 

So  _ neon _ it was. 

 

On the tip of his tongue, it was glittered-

Glinting in the spotlight and drunken masses. 

It was dizzying really, could there be this many colors? 

 

Fingers to his lips- no, not his. 

Not his fingers, not his lips.

How could he tell, with shimmers in his eyes like a blinding fire. 

 

_ Fire? Fire.  _

_ Why the hell was he thinking about Lance at a time like this?  _

 

His mind detached from where his body wandered, Keith gripped a railing, taking a few

seconds to drink in his surroundings. He pressed back on whoever had been holding him then, his body still rocking the the same beat that had been playing for hours. What time was it, anyway? His mindlessness was really getting worse. He turned as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, glancing up at the man behind him. A larger man in a violet suit. His hands were tattooed where they held Keith’s waist. Had he told Keith his name? If he did, he hadn’t paid attention. He noted the chain around his neck and the logo on his ring, smirking slightly as he leaned back against the railing. 

The hands on his body slipped higher, and Keith glanced at his surroundings. They were packed tight, people of all sorts gathered and grinding against them. Everyone was too high and no one was paying attention. He drew his own hands up, moving up around the back of the man’s  neck. He was pulled in for a gross kiss, nose wrinkling at the suddenness of it, as well as the taste of liquor on the man’s lips. It was… disgusting. 

_ Lance tastes much better than this guy, when he drinks.  _

Keith gasped at the thought, his hands expertly flicking the hook open on the gold chain, other hand slipping down to catch it quickly. He didn’t notice. Keith pushed back, sighing and stuffing his hands in his pockets. The man was back on him, hand to his throat to tug him into another nasty kiss. He just played along, letting the man lead him back for a few steps, his hands gliding up under his suit jacket. His fingers searched, feeling a bump on the back of his knuckles. 

As a hand pulled on his waist, he gasped again, biting at his bottom lip. His fingers found something in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He flicked it into his fist and spun around playfully, slipping the object into his pocket. Score, a money clip. He hoped it was a lot- he was really working this one. The man’s hands were on his hips again, tugging him back again, closer to the bathrooms. The hand froze on his front pocket and Keith tensed, the larger man’s hand slipping over his throat. 

“Little thief…” His whispered into Keith’s ear, and Keith just smiled, leaning his hips back. “You’re good, I’ll give you that. But not this-” The man’s fingers tried to take the money clip back, but Keith was faster, slipping down away from his hands and into the crowd. He didn’t look back. He just went. He elbowed his way through the crowd, his ears throbbing with how loud it all suddenly was. He dared to peek backwards as he exited the club, noting the three men who had eyes directly on him, pushing through the crowd. Great. 

Keith booked it as soon as he could. He had taken a taxi here, but now he didn’t have time. He grabbed his phone, thumb flicking wildly to dial his recent calls. If someone could just meet him in their car, he’d be safe.He clicked the first name, Hunk, then swallowed hard when he didn’t answer. It was three in the damn morning, after all- fuck. He looked back again, the three men gaining on him. 

“Come on, pick up!” Keith cried, kicking it up a notch. Running in shitty old converse was not the way to win a race by any means. His body was burning, and he tapped the next name- Lance. It rang for half a second before he picked up. 

“Sup?” Lance’s voice came through the speaker, and Keith sighed relief, peeking behind him again. He had made a pretty big gap, but they were still gaining on him. “Keith? Did you ass dial me while you’re having sex? Why are you breathing so hard-” 

“Get my bike and drive toward Nightingale- Back streets.” Keith told him, ducking down an alley to cut through. Maybe he’d lose them. Whatever was in this money clip better be fucking worth it. 

“Uh, not home- I walked to the gym. Did you call Hunk? Also, are you running a marathon?” Lance asked, and Keith growled, dropping his phone into his pocket to hop a fence. He kept running. Lance’s gym was closer than their apartment. “Keith? I can’t even drive your bike? Is everything okay? Hello?” Lance was asking when Keith brought the phone back to his ear. 

“Is the door unlocked?” Keith asked, and Lance grumbled something into the phone. 

“Is now. Are you gonna laugh at my training again?” Lance asked, a chuckle on his voice. Keith would have laughed at that if he hadn’t heard the yells of the men behind him, sounding even closer now. 

“I’m in some trouble, but I’ll be there in a few- I think I see the sign-” Keith huffed out, feet slamming the sidewalk so hard he was sure he couldn’t feel his toes anymore. That, and it was freezing tonight. Definitely not the right night to wear his one and only crop top. 

“...What kind of trouble, Keith?” Lance’s voice lost the sarcasm. Keith was close enough now that he could see Lance standing in front of the gym. He was still too far away to read the letters on the sign. Either that or his vision was blurred from his drink. “Oh shit- Is that you? Who is that behind you?” Lance’s voice was distant suddenly as Keith was knocked to the ground. He growled and lost his phone in a mess to reach for his pocket knife. He managed to get it, but his hands were grabbed, his feet in a tight hold. 

“Fuck!” Keith growled, body arching against the grip he was under. His knife was slapped from his grip, phone skittering into the road, he was defenseless, feeling his body lifted from the road and slumped over someone’s shoulder. He thought he was stronger than this. He kicked a foot free, slamming his toe into someone’s stomach, but they were held tight again. 

It all happened in a few seconds, but he suddenly crashed to the ground rolled to his back, then ran again, rushing for his precious cell phone before he booked it toward the gym- Lance was gone. He glanced back, skidding to a halt as he watched Lance crash his fist into the jaw of the final man left standing. The other two were dropped to the ground, groaning and dripping their faces. 

“Lance-!” Keith cried, stepping toward him as he managed to get the last man down. Keith watched as he fell back, head slamming on the concrete. Lance turned on his heel, rushing toward Keith. “Lance!” Keith called again, but Lance grabbed his arm, wrenching him in the direction of the gym. 

“They’re not gonna stay down forever!” Lance laughed, smiling back at Keith as he rushed them toward the gym doors. When they were close, he pushed Keith forward and into the building, bending down to grab his own cell phone from the pavement before he rushed in behind him, locking the doors quickly. “Oh man, what did you do?!” Lance asked, collapsing on a bench. He rubbed his bandaged hands, and Keith stared at them for a moment. 

“Stole stuff. I don’t even know how much it was.” Keith mumbled, feeling his heart drop as he looked away from Lance’s injured hands. Lance was still healing. It had only been a few days... He pulled the clip from his pocket, eyes widening. “Oh wow.” He murmured, tugging the wad of hundreds from the clip. Lance’s eyes were wide, leaning forward to stare at the money as Keith counted it. 

“Who in the sweet  _ fuck- _ ” Lance gasped, leaning to swipe a bill from Keith’s stack. “Carries  _ two thousand dollars _ on their person at a nightclub?” Lance asked, running a hand through his hair. Keith just laughed and pushed another hundred at him. 

“It’s actually two thousand six hundred and twenty. Weird though. I also got  _ this _ .” Keith pulled the gold chain from his pocket. Lance eyed it, then swiped it away, getting up quickly so Keith couldn’t take it back. “Hey! I’m pawning that, give it back!” Keith cried, brows furrowed as he got to his feet.

“And you don’t think he’s gonna report this missing?” Lance asked, smirking down at keith, still on his knees in front of the bench, money laid in neat piles. “Pawn shops are like, the first place they check for missing jewelry.” Lance told him, clipping the chain around his neck. “I’ll hold onto it, and when this whole thing blows over,  _ then _ you can pawn it.” Lance said with a grin, tugging the gold with his finger. 

“You look like a weird pimp now.” Keith grumbled, folding the money neatly and slipping it back into the clip. Lance had been wearing a plain white tank top- ripped near the bottom and dirty with sweat. His sweat pants were baggy, but still tight over his hips, showing off the trail of dark hair that disappeared below the hem. Keith licked his lips and got to his feet, stuffing the clip back into his pocket. 

“The guy you fucked and stole from his probably the weird pimp.” Lance laughed, and Keith shoved him, walking past him to look out the windows. 

“First off, I didn’t fuck him. Second off, I don’t fuck with pimps.” Keith mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets when he noticed the men walking toward the gym. Keith backed off, turning and slamming right into Lance on accident. Lance caught him, smirking as he pulled him back, further into the gym, behind some punching bags and weight equipment. 

“So you don’t fuck with pimps? What about me? Didn’t you say I was a pimp?” Lance asked, grin still on his face. Keith grumbled and moved past him again, ducking into a back room. 

“I said you looked like one. A weird one.” Keith grumbled, and Lance’s grin fell to a small smile. 

“So you would fuck with me?” Lance asked, and Keith shut the door behind them, rolling his eyes. 

“Lance. We had sex three days ago.” Keith grumbled, and Lance chuckled, leaning back up against the door. The supply closet was dark, lit only by the small light hanging from the ceiling. 

“Would you fuck with me again?” Lance asked, and Keith sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re covered in glitter, by the way. And what’s with the half shirt. You look like some kinda cheap-” 

“Save it. I know what I look like.” Keith hissed, and Lance frowned, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “And that’s not what I am.” Keith grumbled, pushing himself to the back of the room. Lance looked down at his feet, feeling a bit of anger bubbling in his chest- no, not anger. Jealousy. He was jealous. 

“No, you just let people fuck you for money.” Lance hissed, and Keith went white, eyes flicking up to meet Lance’s gaze- but he was still looking at his feet, realizing he had just severely fucked up. “That came out wrong-” 

“You know what, Lance? Just save it- thanks for saving my ass, but-” Keith started, his back pressed tight to the wall. 

“No, Keith, I’m sorry, that really came out wrong and I didn’t mean it like that-” Lance tried, stepping closer, but Keith pushed back again, flinching against the wall. 

“Don’t.” Keith warned, eyes burning holes into Lance as he finally looked up to him. He froze, hand raised before he dropped it back to his side. “You don’t have to tell me how fucked up this is for me to realize it.” Keith hissed. “We both do fucked up shit for our reasons. At least  _ I’m _ good at what  _ I _ do.” Keith squared his shoulders, eyes hard as he spat at Lance. “You basically get paid to  _ lose _ .” Keith hissed, and Lance’s head dropped, leaning back against the door. 

“I know.” Lance mumbled, and Keith furrowed his brows, watching his expression change from a frown to a smile- but something was different. His eyes were cold. “You think I don’t know how much I suck?” Lance laughed, and Keith’s shoulders drooped, eyes flicking away. “Why do you think I’m here at three in the morning, dude?” Lance asked, turning to look out the door. Guys were still searching through the glass. He hoped they’d leave soon- Hunk would be worried sick. 

“You don’t- You don’t  _ suck _ , Lance.” Keith murmured, arms dropping from their defensive position. Lance laughed at that and turned back around, tucking his hands into his pockets. 

“You’re not a whore. I don’t think that.” Lance told him, and Keith’s heart dropped, along with his chin. Lance’s hands were around his waist in a few seconds, hesitating there before Lance’s finger tipped his chin up, closing the awkward apologies off with a kiss. Keith sighed, eyes shut tight as his hands found the hem of Lance’s tank top. 

He was right. Lance did taste good when he’d been drinking. 

The liquor coated tongue slipped against Keith’s, drenching him in something so different and earthy that Keith felt like he had disappeared. His hands pushed up quickly, finding Lance’s sweaty hair, tugging on him roughly, gaining a groan from the other man. Lance pulled back suddenly, sticking his tongue out. It was shimmering. 

“The hell did you do, suck off a unicorn?” Lance laughed, and Keith blushed, brows furrowing at the glitter all over Lance’s lips. He giggled then, reaching to tug his shirt out and show off all the glitter that was on it. “Jesus! Get away from me with all that!” Lance laughed, pushing back up against the door. Keith just smirked and moved forward, his fingers dipping into the cloth of Lance’s pants, past his briefs. He pulled them down, slipping to his knees in a matter of seconds. Lance shook his head and grabbed his hair, tugging him back up. “Oh no! You’re not glittering my manhood for all to see.” Lance hissed, and Keith laughed, leaning up against him, fingers gripping his shoulders tight. 

“Lance, let’s be honest. Who is ‘all’? Because last time I checked, the only person you have sex with is me.” Keith murmured, palm wrapping around his cock. Lance grumbled, gripping Keith’s hips to push him away. 

“Hey, Nyma gave me a handy like, four hours ago, okay?” Lance laughed, and Keith froze, then dropped him and yanked his pants back up for him, stepping back again. 

“Isn’t… Isn’t that the girl from downstairs?” Keith asked, brows furrowed. His stomach was twisting and he wanted to ignore it, pushing past Lance and out the door, finally. The men were gone, thank god. 

“Yeah- we’ve got a thing going right now. We made her cookies and now she’s all over me.” Lance boasted, and Keith kept his smirk up roughly as he made his way to the back door.

“You know she has a boyfriend, right?” Keith asked, and Lance’s eyebrows raised, smile falling. 

“What?!” Lance cried, tailing Keith “I didn’t wanna  _ date _ her, but I can’t fuck a married woman!” Lance whined, dramatically flopping against a punching back, arms hugging it tight. 

“Sure you didn’t. Also- they’re not married. Just dating.” Keith replied, pushing his hair back lazily. Lance’s arms were around him again, pouted face nestled in the crook of his arm. 

“Same thing…” Lance grumbled, dragging behind Keith. Keith felt anger bubbling in his chest, but he couldn’t snap at Lance, not again. He wanted to ask Lance why he needed to fuck her, when he was right here? 

 

Lance sighed deeply, nose pressed into Keith’s neck before he found himself pushed off, following Keith out of the gym and locking it behind them. So his plan to make Keith jealous  _ was _ working, albeit a little less drastically than he had hoped. Keith didn’t really seem to care. 

They walked home in almost deafening silence. It left Lance uncomfortably alone with his thoughts, but the ice coming off of Keith was something he didn’t want to mess with, words catching on his lips every time he opened them to speak, sticking a little farther behind Keith rather than next to him. Keeping quiet wasn’t exactly his forte, and neither was dealing with his own thoughts. 

What if he  _ had _ fucked up? What if Keith was  _ really _ still mad at him for the comment he’d made about his ‘job’? He still didn’t know if keith liked what he did or not. Sometimes he flaunted it at Lance, how many men he’d messed around with that night. But other times, like tonight, he seemed ashamed of it, like he hated it. Was the flaunting a cover up, or was hating it an act? He couldn’t decide. 

They stepped up to the stoop of their apartment and Lance stepped forward, stuffing the key in the lock. Keith was the first to enter, shouldering his way past Lance and into the living room. Hunks snores could be heard already, and Lance sighed, shutting the door behind them before he tugged his tank top off. Keith made his way toward his room, but Lance stopped him, following quickly. 

“Hey- Keith?” Lance whispered, and Keith turned, glancing at him from over his shoulder. Maybe it was the lighting, but Keith’s eyes looked puffy, his nose red. “Are you really okay? Did what I said earlier upset you? Because really-” Lance started but Keith whipped his head back, stuffing his hand into his pocket to grab all the money he had stolen. 

“Yeah, Lance, it did.” Keith spat, trying his best to keep his voice low. Lance tensed, keeping his distance this time. Maybe he’d want to talk about it- he wanted Keith to know he really didn’t think badly of him for what he does- “ Why on fucking earth would you mention some other chick, right then? Your timing fucking sucks!” Keith hissed, brows furrowing as he glared to Lance. 

“That… You’re upset about that?” Lance asked, a smile threatening his lips. He tried his best to keep the smile away, though he was much more excited about that little development. Keith furrowed his brow and looked away, turning back to grab for his doorknob. Lance only followed him, and for some god-awful reason, Keith let him, standing in front of his lock box to put in the numbers, then stuff the money clip inside. He’d organize it later. “I made that up, though. I was just fucking with you.” Lance admitted, Keith’s puffy eyes dragging the truth out of his guilty mouth. 

“Why- Why would you make it up?!” Keith asked, annoyed now that Lance would try and either A,  _ lie _ his way out of this, or B, make something like that up just to get a rise out of him. Lance shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Does he tell Keith the real reason? To see if he’d get jealous, to see if he actually cared about it? Or does he lie. Again. 

“I mean, you have lots of sex so like, I gotta act like I do too, right?” Lance chuckled, his eyes at the floor before he looked up for Keith’s reaction. Keith was just staring at him, brows drawn together, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. 

“That’s… the stupidest thing ever. But also really funny.” Keith told him, and Lance smirked, dropping his eyes again. Keith moved toward him to tug his hands from his pockets, looking over the shitty bandages over his knuckles. “How are these?” Keith asked, and Lance shrugged, looking at the way both of Keith’s hands held one of his own, cupping his palm to thumb over his bandages. 

“Better. Healing. Hunk’s making me clean ‘em every day- I haven’t really been training as hard as I should be, though, so that sucks.” Lance grumbled, and Keith just shrugged, smiling down at his hands. The smile was better. But why had Keith been crying?

He pulled his hand from Keith’s, moving his palms to grip his waist, holding the softness of the space between the hem of Keith’s pants and the bottom of his shirt. His thumbs brushed just under the high-cut fabric, fingers pressed into his skin. He leaned to nibble Keith’s earlobe, leaning over him slightly, and the way Keith’s body arched into him to accommodate the bend was lovely. 

“Why were you so upset?” Lance murmured, and he felt Keith’s body flinch under his hands. Keith just dropped his head to the side, offering Lance his neck, but he didn’t take it, only pressing closer to his ear. “I know you weren’t jealous that she gave me a gentle handy.” Lance teased, moving to push Keith back toward his bed, as small as it was. Keith still wasn’t speaking, but his hands had moved up to find Lance’s biceps, fingertips digging in nervously. 

“I wasn’t.” Keith murmured finally, adjusting himself under Lance’s body as he was pushed into the messy blankets. The lie was weak on his lips, as was the groan that slipped out when Lance bit down on his throat, gentle but noticeable. Keith shivered, sighing out sharply when his teeth bit down harder, sucking into him. “It’s just been a long night. I was stressed, I don’t know.” Keith murmured, and Lance sighed, shifting up. The pout on his lips was exaggerated, making Keith’s smile return slightly. Lance just sighed and pushed his knee up, catching Keith’s gasp in his palm. 

“You sure? Not jealous?” Lance asked, and Keith shook his head, groaning when Lance rocked his knee. His rolled his hips in response, his fingers digging into his skin before they moved to his hair, knotting themselves in. “You suck, some on. At least let me pretend you think I’m cool enough to get jealous over.” Lance laughed, and Keith smirked under his hand, tugging at his hair gently. Lance pulled his hand away, shifting them under Keith’s shirt, thumbs brushing over his nipples. He flicked the pad of his thumb over the piercings there, hooking his thumbs carelessly under the dainty chains connected to them. Keith tensed, heat rising to his cheeks. “These are… new?” Lance chuckled, shifting to push Keith’s shirt off. 

Lance did his best to keep his tongue in his mouth, eyes raking over the lovely, dainty chains that dangled under Keith’s piercings. He had seen  _ those _ before, but the twinkling blue gems were something new. Lance thumbed over them again, noting the jolt it sent through the other man before he leaned down, kissing next to his nipple softly. One hand playing with the jewelry on one side, his lips moving to kiss at the other, gentle with his teeth as his tongue flicked over the skin. 

“ _ What the fuck… _ ” Keith gasped, his hands still stuck in Lance’s hair. He felt his heart thudding, thighs tight around Lance’s knee as he arched up again, into Lance’s mouth. Lance let out a quiet chuckle, breath hot against his chest. 

“Gonna admit it yet?” Lance asked, shifting up again, thumbs still flicking over the jeweled chains playfully. Keith was red, his brows furrowed now as he tried to pull Lance in for a kiss to distract him- but Lance was solid. “No. Tell me.” Lance grumbled, smiling as he leaned down to kiss his cheekbone. He rolled his knee again, and Keith arched up, chewing his lip to stay silent. He couldn’t believe his body was betraying him like this. 

“Tell you what? That I  _ so _ wanted to give you a gentle handy?” Keith snarked, and Lance frowned, tugging the chains ever so slightly. His lips stayed pressed to Keith’s cheek before he leaned down, sighing against his ear. 

“Tell me how  _ jealous _ you were to hear that I don’t  _ only _ fuck  _ you _ .” Lance demanded, and Keith trembled, his body shook, arching ever higher as Lance’s fingers tugged against him again. Keith finally let out a tiny moan, swallowing hard when Lance let him go. He leaned up, tugging harshly on Lance’s hair. 

“Make me.” Keith hissed, and Lance smirked, growling low in his throat as he grabbed Keith by the hips and flipped them, teetering awkwardly on Keith’s tiny bed. 

“Why do I gotta do all the work, huh?” Lance asked, the rough skin of his hand slipping up Keith’s hip toward his chest, the other gripping tight to his thigh. Keith just shrugged and leaned back, grinding his ass rudely against Lance’s crotch.

“Not like you ever  _ want _ me to do any of the work.” Keith grumbled, and Lance smiled wide at that, jutting his hips up roughly, watching Keith bounce off him. 

“True- I like to treat a lady right.” Lance teased, thumb hooking under the chain again with a sigh. Keith just rolled his eyes, arching forward slightly into Lance’s hand. “These  _ are _ really pretty, by the way. Nice color choice.” Lance murmured, thumb rolling gently over Keith’s nipple. Keith leaned to kiss the smirk off his stupid lips, hips grinding slowly, feeling the way Lance’s fingers tightened and his biceps tensed. The blisters on his palms scraped against Keith’s hands as they slid around to his ass, gripping and pulling up on him as he rolled his hips smoothly. 

“Are we doing this, then?” Keith asked, pulling back slightly, stilling his hips for a second. Lance just rolled his hips up, thumbs pushing quickly down into Keith’s pants to shove them down, letting him shift to get them all the way off. “That a yes?” Keith asked, smirk on his lips as he leaned to tug the fabric of Lance’s sweatpants down, leaving them both in their boxers now. Well, Lance was in boxers, loose around his waist. Keith’s briefs were tight, showing off the shape of his cock beneath them. 

“We can do whatever you want, really.” Lance sighed, thumb tracing over the damp head of Keith’s cock, pad of his thumb swirling over the fabric. Glitter was just a thing that existed on most of Keith’s clothes now, but the shimmer on his abdomen was beautiful to Lance, especially in the dull lighting of his tiny room. He pushed back slightly on Keith’s shoulder, tugging his opposite hip forward, leaning him back in the moonlight. The shimmer was hypnotizing. “I could just stare at you all night, though. That’s an option.” Lance mumbled, his smirk softening as he watched Keith glimmer, before the other man was leaning over him, gripping his jaw in another kiss. 

“Shut up, freak. Just get the lube.” Keith hissed into his lips, and Lance smiled, stealing a peck from Keith’s lips before he reached back into his drawer, grabbing the bottle of lube and a condom. “Are your hands still sore?” Keith asked, leaned back now, palms flat on Lance’s chest as he waited. 

“Yeah. Not that bad though, I can do it.” Lance murmured, propping himself up on one arm before he spread the lube over his fingers, and Keith shifted again, pushing his underwear down, but Lance stopped him, grabbing for his hips. He slipped his fingers beneath the underwear, teasing Keith’s entrance before he worked his finger in. Keith sighed and leaned forward slightly, letting his head roll to the side. Lance laid himself back down again, licking his lips as his hand went to press at the front of Keith’s briefs, thumb stroking his length as his finger moved into the other man. 

Keith’s moan was unexpected, and Lance smirked, leaning his head back on the pillow, watching the way Keith chewed his lips and circled his hips back, taking all of Lance’s finger for a moment before he pushed another in, slowly thrusting back on his hand. His other hand squeezed, tightening down on the fabric of Keith’s underwear, shifting it over the head of his cock, dampening it lazily. Keith’s hips stuttered, and Lance halted, pulling him forward. 

“What?” Keith asked, his voice coming in a gasp as he scooted forward on his knees. Lance just smiled, thrusting his fingers ever so slowly. 

“Just come here.” Lance’s voice was a low rumble, hoarse and used up from the day, and tiredness seeping in his bones. Keith’s hips were inches from his lips now, and he leaned up slightly, edging another finger into his ass before he kissed through the fabric, tongue rolling over the wetness. Keith devoured his lower lip, spine tingling when Lance’s hand moved from his cock to his hip, holding him steady. 

“ _ Lance… _ ” Keith gasped, fidgeting his hands up by his chest, no idea what to do with them it was one of those times where he was stumped with what to do, because this never happened to him. Lance just… Cared. At least that’s what it felt like. The thumb pressed into Keith’s hip, fingers pulling his ass apart and working inside, opening him up, it made his heart throb in his chest. 

Lance looked up at him, his eyes a flicker of lovely blue in the dull room, brightening the atmosphere ten fold. His hand slipped down into Lance’s hair, tugging gently on his bangs, and Lance’s tongue rolled up his length, then he bit the waistband of his briefs, snapping it with a smirk. Keith was too much of a wreck to complain, his other hand reaching down to grip Lance’s wrist, hips rolling slightly. Lance was fully wrecked too, though he hid it well, watching Keith’s expression change as he pushed his fingers deeper, three of them working inside him now. He wasn’t sure if Keith realized he was moaning like he was, but he also wasn’t about to tell him to quiet down. The noises he made were driving him, working the sound from him with every lick and suck over his cock, to every rock of his fingertips. He knew when Keith’s hand tightened and his back arched, that Lance had just hit something perfectly, and he chased after it, tongue rolling over him perfectly. 

“L-Lance- I-  _ Wait- _ ” Keith gasped, his hips stuttering and Lance just smirked, nuzzling his cock for a second before he went back to it, teasing him through his underwear, nose pressed into his abdomen. He dared to add another finger, fully realizing he was probably not going to fuck Keith tonight- but this was much more worth it. The shudder of Keith’s shoulders, the quiver of his thighs. It made his chest tight, a groan rising to his lips as he opened his mouth over him, fingers thrusting deep as he felt heat smear over his lips. “Lance-” Keith’s voice was a choked sob, his hand shaking where it held his hair, and Lance just licked over him, still working his fingers as Keith came. It seeped through the cloth slowly, and Lance’s mouth never stopped, riding out Keith’s orgasm with him, letting him roll his hips against his waiting tongue. 

Lance finally pulled back, ever so slowly, and Keith shuddered at the sight, dropping his eyes as Lance’s fingers slipped from inside him. He slipped away quickly, moving to pull his underwear off, on his feet now. Lance sat up and rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck before he grabbed an old t-shirt to wipe his face. Keith finally moved back to the bed, grabbing the condom from the end table. Lance eyed it, then shook his head, pushing Keith’s hands down. 

“Hey, we don’t have to.” Lance murmured, and Keith shrugged, eyes flicking up nervously to Lance before he tore the condom open, fingers finding Lance’s boxers to tug them down. “ _ Keeeith _ .” Lance hummed, pushing Keith’s hand away again. Yeah, he was hard, but something about Keith was… off. “You don’t have to.” Lance reminded him again, and Keith chuckled, smirk on his lips seeming… false. 

“Just shut it- It’s my  _ job _ , Lance.” Keith teased, taking Lance in his palm. He sighed, leaning up to grip Keith’s hair, tugging him down to kiss his temple. 

“I’m not a client.” Lance grumbled, and Keith felt like he was having a heart attack. Lance was right- he wasn’t a client. It dawned on Keith then that he had been treating Lance like he was paying him, like he owed him this. He enjoyed it with Lance, though, and maybe that was what made him feel so guilty. He dropped the condom, the hand that held Lance’s cock popping open, dropping him suddenly. “Let’s just sleep. You’ve had a shitty night. You know. Except the money you got. That was a score, honestly.” Lance laughed, and Keith shook his head, but Lance was already tugging him down to the bed, arm around him, other hand pulling the blankets onto them. “Also, use that money to get a bigger fucking bed.” Lance whined, tugging Keith onto his chest.

“You’re one to talk- You don’t even have a bed.” Keith teased, his smile softening a bit as his cheek pressed to the warmth of Lance’s chest. 

“Low blow.” Lance mumbled, nuzzling into Keith’s hair before he sighed out a yawn, body finally shifting to comfortability. Keith shifted too, his hand pushing over Lance’s abdomen, fingers tracing through the rough hair there. 

“You’re sure?” Keith asked, voice quiet as he waited. Lance nodded, his free hand coming to grab Keith’s, threading their fingers together. He wondered why the hell he was letting himself act like this. Like Keith was his boyfriend, like he was allowed to hold him like this. He was only glad that Keith didn’t stop him.  

“Just sleep, sex goblin.” 

“Oh my  _ god _ , don’t call me a  _ sex goblin _ , it’s offensive. 


	3. Don't let me be misunderstood.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is just a soul whose intentions are good, he tries so hard, don't let him be misunderstood.

His hands didn’t really hurt as much when he wore his wraps. Maybe it was because of how tight Hunk had done them- Maybe it was because of all the tylenol in his system. It had only been five days, but Lance couldn’t pass up a fight, not when his paycheck depended on it. Hunk only gave him the okay because Lance had given him the puppy dog eyes and pout. If he was well enough to kiss ass, he was well enough to kick it. 

“You invite Keith?” Hunk asked, watching Lance’s fists fly against a punching bag. He noticed a subtle change in the way Lance held himself when he mentioned the other man. Stiff, but loose all the same. Tight. Lips tweaked up in a tiny smirk, crooked tooth showing as he gave the bag a harsh uppercut. 

“Why would I? So he can tell me how bad I did and then I can lose in front of him?” Lance laughed, rolling his shoulders as he hopped on his feet. Hunk just smirked and checked his watch before he stood up, cracking his knuckles. 

“Dunno man. Has he ever been to a fight of yours?” Hunk asked, picking up on the bounce of Lance’s shoulders as he laughed to himself, smiling a bit more. 

“No. Don’t think so.” Lance murmured, then stuffed his other earbud in before Hunk pulled them both out. 

“Well, if you wanna make it to this match, we need to go. I’ll drive. If you win, Burger King, my treat.” Hunk offered, spinning his keys on his finger. Lance’s eyes lit up and he turned on his heel, slumping his sweaty body onto Hunks, hugging him around the shoulders. 

“Oh, take me  _ now _ .” Lance moaned, but Hunk did nothing but laugh, patting his friend on the back before he righted him. 

“Come on, you big baby.” Hunk sighed, nodding his head toward the doors. Lance smiled wide and followed behind, swaying to the music in his head. He was  _ so _ ready for this fight. He felt better than he had in months. 

\---

Lance felt the fire rise in his throat as he moved, hands bumping him as he moved through the sweaty, dirty crowd. He had lost sight of Hunk, but that didn’t really matter too much anymore. He spotted his opponent, and he recognized him as Prorok, one of the men from the same sort of ‘club’ that Lotor was from. It was apparently run by some sort of mob boss, but no one had really ever seen him at the fights. His name was Zarkon- What kind of shitty sci-fi names did these losers have, anyway? 

He swallowed back the flames on the back of his tongue as the man across the ring from him laughed. He fucking laughed at him. Why? Because Lance didn’t look like much, still hidden in his hoodie. He clicked his tongue and unzipped his hoodie, shirking it off his shoulders. It easily hid his wiry frame, covering the faded bruises and toned body from his waist up. The shiny, healed scars were another plus, and he smiled just as the other man’s smirk faded. 

_ That’s more fucking like it. I’m not a joke. _

Lance rolled his shoulders and handed his hoodie off to the crowd, hoping that it made its way to Hunk, or at least the coat rack- If there was one. The stepped toward the middle of the ring, looking over his opponent, noting his muscles, the thickness of his arms and abdomen. His stance was… off. He was probably going to be slow. It gave Lance an advantage. Prorok was a brute- nothing like Lotor.

“Keep it clean.” Is all the ref mumbled between them before he stepped back, hesitating for a moment. In that moment, Lance took a deep breath, tensing a bit before he relaxed, watching the intense flex of the other man’s muscles, but he was just showing off, Lance could tell. He threw the man a cocky smirk just as the whistle blew, and Lance ducked, dodging the obvious right hook that swished over his head, brushing against his hair. 

“Good shot!” Lance laughed, turning on his heel before he slammed his fist against his jaw, then danced away, faster than his bumbling opponent. He wondered if this was  _ too _ easy, but he recalled how he had also spent almost every waking moment at the gym, getting anyone to spar with him that he could. His smile faltered when Prorok landed a punch on his side, which Lance returned two-fold, one to the side of his head, the other to his gut. He doubled over and Lance scoffed, letting out a little laugh that made the whole crowd cheer. It was a peice of fucking cake, Lance almost felt like he was cheating.

Well, before he flopped to his back after Prorok grabbed his thigh and yanked him down. Seriously, his thigh? Dude had huge hands, apparently- And there really were no rules in these fights. Lance grunted and struggled to get up, but the man had him pinned. This was probably the only time where the size difference worked against him. He felt the blood rush to his head as it hit the ground over and over, fists cracking against his face, but he somehow,  _ somehow _ , slipped out, getting to his feet in an awkward wobble. 

“Oh come on, big guy. Can’t even keep a shrimp like  _ me _ down?” Lance teased, blinking away the dizziness and licking away the metallic flavor that coated his lips now as Prorok growled and got to his feet, rushing after him. Lance was faster, once again. He kept his head in the game, albeit a little more dizzy than before. 

The punches that were thrown from his opponent were hard and heavy, but rarely hit Lance. His jaw suffered a bit, as well as his abdomen, but Lance’s punches were precise, hitting every time, wearing him down. Eventually, he was so slow and out of breath that Lance was able to jump behind him and knock him over, tugging his arm up behind him, watching the other one slam to the concrete.

The ref counted down, and Lance hopped up to his feet, giant grin on his face. Hunk emerged suddenly from the crowd and scooped him up, the cheers drowning out anything that anyone might have said to him. He just smiled down at his friend and grabbed for the huge wad of cash the ref held out to him.

_ That _ was worth it.

\---

What was  _ also _ worth it, was walking into the club Keith was at with a smug look on his face. Of course he knew where he would be- Keith had started texted him the name of the club he’d be going to after the fiasco two days ago. If Keith went missing, at least they’d know where to look. Though  _ where _ in the club, Lance had no idea. 

He danced his way through the nightclub, eventually ending up at the bar. He leaned over the counter and got himself a drink, something sweet and blue, sugar circling the rim. He got himself another, smiling at the taste. He handed the bartender another bill and finished his drink quickly, asking for another- and another. He smiled and thanked the bartender, making his way through the room again, bleary eyes on the lookout for a certain half dressed mullet. Lance swayed with the crowd, swallowing back his drink before he dragged his tongue across the rim. His brain was a bit more fuzzy, thank god. 

 

His eyes landed on what he wanted, finally. And he felt fire in his throat again. Who the fuck was  _ that _ ? 

 

Keith pushed his hands up someone’s shirt, letting a stranger’s hands slip over his ass as they danced closer together. He wasn’t wearing any sort of top, showing off the glittering, thin gold chains that drooped from the piercings on his chest down around his waist. He was sure the other man had slipped him something in their first kiss, his head growing fuzzier every time he looked to the crowd. He had scoped this guy out a few times, but finally made a breakthrough with him. He always wore a different expensive watch, always had a fresh haircut, and his shoes were never the same, but all name brands. He had  _ money _ \- At least Keith  _ hoped _ he did. 

 

Lance was  _ fucking pissed. _ The drink in his hand didn’t help, not at all. 

 

When they kissed in front of, his tossed his plastic cup away, crunching it in his hand.  _ What the fuck. Patience, Lance.  _ His body found it’s way across the floor, his hands sticking roughly onto Keith’s waist. Keith jolted and looked back, face turning into confusion when he caught Lance’s sugary, blue tinted lips against his. Keith shivered at the taste, his hands dropping from the man in front of him. The music was too loud, and his mind was going blank, moan slipping from his mouth. He had forgotten about the task at hand but- That wasn’t such a bad thing, not with the way Lance tasted. 

The illusion was shattered when the stranger in front of him shoved on Lance, and Keith grumbled, pushing the other man away. He gave Keith a confused, annoyed look, but Keith was already turning in Lance’s arms, and Lance was shooting him a cocky smirk, his hands tightening on Keith’s hips, tugging him away from the stranger. 

 

_ Mine, mine, mine _ . The words were on repeat in Lance’s head as Keith kissed him.

 

“You’re all blue… How much fucking vodka did they put in that drink?” Keith mumbled, and Lance heard him, his lips right near Lances ear as they rocked together. He spotted the new bruise on Lance’s jaw, even in the dim light, and kissed it, pulling back with a frown. Lance just pushed a finger to his lips and kept his smile up, turning them and pushing them toward the exit. “Hey, I’m workin’ here!” Keith whined, tugging on his grip but really, he’d  _ love _ to get out of there. 

“Got you covered.” Lance mumbled, nodding to the guards at the front door before he pulled them both outside. “Mmm... call an Uber?” Lance asked, his smile turning dopey as he watched Keith, who moved ahead of him with a huff. 

“There are perfectly good taxi’s right here. Where are we going? Did you come here just to get drunk and take me home?” Keith asked, annoyance on his voice as he felt Lance wrap his arms around his shoulders from behind, hands straying down to tug at the chains over his chest. Keith blushed, brow furrowing as he pushed back slightly into the other man.

“Nah…. came to just take you home. Getting drink was an accident. Honest.” Lance murmured, nuzzling his blue lips into the crook of Keith’s neck. Keith just shivered and arched back, dropping his head. They should probably get into the taxi. 

“Come on, asshole.” Keith mumbled, licking his lips, mouth feeling dry as he moved toward the cab. His vision had been blurred for a while, the tainted kiss with that man doing something more to him than he would have liked. “I feel like shit, so I can’t drag your ass. You gotta walk… God, how’d you get trashed so fast?” Keith asked, tugging Lance toward the cab, popping the door for him. 

“Didn’t eat dinner yet- Hunk promised fast food but I forgot… Just wanted to get you.” Lance mumbled, and Keith turned his head as he climbed into the cab behind him, hiding the pink in his cheeks. 

“So you passed up free food… to abduct me from my job?” Keith asked, laugh on his voice. Lance just grunted and pulled Keith close, grumbling into his shoulder. Keith swore he heard a whine, high pitched as Lance pushed his hands over his waist, fingers brushing the top of his pants. Keith shuddered and leaned quickly to tell the driver their destination, leaning back quickly when Lance pulled on him. 

“I won my fight. Won it  _ real _ good, man.” Lance hummed, tugging on Keith’s waist, wrapping his arms around him, practically suffocating him. The cabbie coughed awkwardly and Keith pushed off of Lance, grunting awkwardly. 

“Dude, cool it. Too much.” Keith mumbled, and Lance tensed, eyebrows shooting up as he leaned back in his seat, tugging his hands into his own lap. Keith watched him and glanced up at his face, leaning back in his seat to put his buckle on. 

“Sorry.” Lance murmured, and Keith had a tiny heart attack at the way Lance’s face fell, embarrassed. He wanted more than  _ anything _ to have Keith in his arms, for some reason. He was  _ restless _ . Keith smirked and reached out, taking his hand, which was small in Lance’s wrapped palm.

“You good?” Keith asked, glancing over to watch Lance’s lips curl into a tiny smile. 

“That’s  _ gay _ , Keith.” Lance giggled, tightening his grip on his hand. Keith tore his hand away, crossing his arms. Lance whined, fucking  _ whimpered _ , hand seeking out the other man’s touch again. Keith returned it, fingers feeling numb, but his grin widened. Really, everything felt blurry, for both of them. The hammering of their chests were really the only thing that kept either of them even remotely grounded. 

\---

By the time they got home, Keith was far gone. Lance had the mind to carry him, scooping him up carefully from the taxi. The cabbie looked concerned, but Lance just ignored it and handed him some money from his pocket, awkwardly shifting with Keith in his arms. He turned then, facing Hunk, who had watched the whole fumbling exchange with arms crossed and a frown on his face. 

“What the fuck did you  _ do _ , Lance?” Hunk asked, leaning to take Keith from him so that Lance could manage his way up the stairs. 

“Wasn’t me. I think it was some other dude?” Lance replied, trailing behind Hunk with heavy limbs. “I’m… I’m glad I took him home? And not the other guy? What’s he drugged with…?” Lance asked, and Hunk rolled his eyes, unlocked the door with one hand, Keith in his other arm. 

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t do drugs, Lance.” Hunk grumbled, heading right for Keith’s room to settle him into bed. He had managed to fall asleep, not shifting when Lance leaned over and poked his face. Hunk worked on pulling off his shoes for him, brows furrowing at how warm Keith’s body felt. “Man, I hope he’s alright... “ Hunk mumbled, shifting awkwardly before he moved back out to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and a trash bin for his passed out friend. 

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Lance sighed, leaning up against the bathroom door. Hunk eyed him for a second before he nodded, stepping out from the room. He closed the door gently, and Lance let out a sigh, looking up at the ceiling before he turned to grab a towel. “I can just shower, right…? I’ll just… leave this open.” Lance mumbled to himself, tugging his shirt over his head before he shot a worried look to Keith. 

Should he take him to a hospital? It couldn’t have been deadly, right? Lance’s chest twisted with worry. He pulled his clothes off and flicked the water on, sighing at the low water pressure. Whatever, it’d have to do. He tried to shower quickly, peeking out the bathroom door every few moments, just watching the slight shift of Keith’s feet as he tossed and turned in bed. He scrubbed sweat and glitter from his body, wondering how Keith could deal with this every night. When he heard a groan, he furrowed his brows, hurriedly rinsing the shampoo from his hair. 

_ “... It’s hooot…” _ Keith whined, and Lance was out of the shower in seconds, rubbing his body down with a towel before he secured it around his waist. His short hair was dripping as he moved back into Keith’s room. He was splayed out now, hands in his hair, over his eyes, sweat on his chest glimmering in the pale light of his room. 

“You feel sick?” Lance asked, grabbing another towel to rub at his hair. He noted the heave of Keith’s chest, his mouth loose as he gasped for air. Keith shook his head, bringing his knees up, toes curled into the bed. “Keith?” Lance asked, chewing his thumb now. 

“Aphrona.” Keith grumbled, rolling to the side. “ _ That’s _ what it was...” He breathed out, and Lance’s brows furrowed closer, head cocking to the side. 

“What do you mean?” Lance asked, and it clicked, a little too slow in his half-drunk brain. “Oh…  _ Oh, _ so someone  _ did _ drug you, then?” Lance asked, and Keith nodded, letting out a tiny gasp, curling tighter in on himself. “Hunk brought you some water… What’s Aphrona, anyway?” Lance asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding out the water bottle for him. Keith just glanced up at it before he rolled to sit up, covering his mouth to muffle what Lance could have sworn was a moan. 

“Its-” He snatched water bottle, taking a few large gulps before he spoke again. His cheeks were pink, eyes staring down into the rim of the bottle. “It’s some kind of sex drug- It’s new, so I haven’t come into contact with it but…” Keith breathed out rubbing his face before he let out a whine, eyes flicking up to meet Lance’s stare. “ _ What _ are you staring at, creep?” Keith hissed, and Lance smirked, looking down to his knees quickly. 

“You are _ rock hard _ .” Lance chuckled out, and Keith looked down between his legs, at his shorts, and the stiffness what was absolutely visible. He grumbled and put the water bottle on his end table, then rolled back to push his shorts off, along with his briefs. He didn’t really give a shit at that point, his nerves on fire and his cock throbbing like he could explode at any second. Lance just swallowed hard, turning his head toward the door nervously. “You uh… want me to leave?” Lance mumbled, but keith’s arms were around his shoulders from behind, tugging the towel open. 

“What, and ask  _ Hunk _ to help me deal with it?” Keith scoffed, and Lance chewed his lip, hand dropping to grip at Keith’s thigh. 

“What do you mean, deal with it?” Lance asked and Keith had dropped his face onto Lance’s shoulder, hips grinding against his back. “Oh my god, don’t you  _ dare _ dry hump me you  _ freak- _ ” Lance grumbled, getting to his feet, leaving Keith as he whined into his hand. 

“If I don’t  _ do _ something about it, it could last for  _ days- _ It happened to my friend and he said he finally gave in after _ four days- _ ” Keith rushed out, running his hands nervously through his hair. Lance finally realized just how much this was affecting Keith. Either that, or it had gotten worse, very quickly. “God, I guess I’m fucking lucky you showed up when you did.” Keith breathed out, and Lance swallowed hard as Keith’s cock twitched against his abdomen. “Lance, please-”

“Okay,  _ okay- _ Lay back, let me just... get my shit together.” Lance ran a hand through his hair, tossing his towel away finally before he hurried to grab some lube, digging around in Keith’s drawers before he found it. When he turned back around, Keith had set himself up awkwardly on the pillows, legs spread wide as he stroked himself. Lance had sworn he hadn’t been turned around for long but… Keith already had cum splattered over his stomach and chest, and Lance just cocked his brow. 

“This sucks!  _ Fuck _ !” Keith cried, his hips rolling awkwardly into his hand. “ _ Fuck fuck fuck… _ ” He whimpered, and Lance realized that maybe the issue would not be solved with just one orgasm. He swallowed hard and strapped himself in for one hell of a night. 

“What’s it feel like?” Lance asked, brow furrowed as he climbed onto the bed, popping the cap to the lube open to spread some onto his fingers. Keith pulled his knees up, letting Lance get to work without asking any questions. 

“S’like someone rubbed fuckin’ hot peppers all over my body.” Keith slurred, the annoyance behind his words totally melting away after Lance slicked his entrance with two fingers, pushed one in carefully. “Oh  _ god _ that feels like- I dunno  _ what _ that feels like but it’s  _ good… _ ” Keith moaned, head rolling to the side as he gasped, tugging his knees up. 

“More?” Lance asked, and Keith nodded, shuddering when Lance pushed another finger in. He watched the pleased expression on Keith’s face, but noticed when he got irritated again, then added another- and the irritation faded, replaced with a moan and a relaxed slump of his spine. “It doesn’t hurt at all?” Lance asked, and Keith shook his head, glancing down at Lance, brows furrowed. 

“Just- Fuckin’ do it already, or I’m gonna catch on fire.” Keith whined, trying to sound annoyed, but he was fucking  _ grateful _ for Lance being there. He was already exhausted, limbs heavy and hot. There was no way he’d be able to deal with the effects of this drug alone. 

“Alright just- Didn’t wanna hurt you.” Lance murmured, leaning over Keith, letting him hook his legs around his waist, willing him forward with his heels. 

“I know,  _ asshole _ .” Keith breathed, grabbing Lance’s hair roughly to jerk him forward, smashing their lips together almost painfully for a kiss. 

“ _ Sorry- _ Sorry.” It took Lance a second to balance himself before he was pushing in, rather quickly, with Keith’s heels setting the pace. Really, it shouldn’t have been legal, the way Keith moaned out against Lance’s ear. It was incoherent, a long, hitching gasp followed by a babbling of nothingness, and Lance grumbled when Keith smashed his heel into Lance’s back to will his hips to move. And when he did, if Keith wasn’t out of it enough already, he was gone, high off of the way Lance’s hips rolled perfectly into him. 

“ _ Fuck fuck fuck- _ ” Keith cried, and Lance kissed his cheek, over the saltiness of tears that spilled from his eyes. Lance kissed him over and over, braced up on his forearms now as he fucked Keith into the bed. He’d never really seen the other man such a mess, and it made him feel guilty almost, his heart swelling at the way he called Lance’s name- It sounded so raw and thankful. “Lance-” Keith gasped, his eyes rolling back before they fell closed, and Lance felt cum splatter his stomach, hot and sticky against his abdomen. 

“Shh- I got you, I’ll take care of you.” Lance breathed, kissing at Keith’s cheek, his thumb brushing against his cheek. Underneath the absolutely suffocating heat, Keith’s heart throbbed at the way Lance’s words made him feel- Safe. Keith’s arms finally made their way around his neck, and Lance felt tears run over his thumb, Keith only able to feel relief for a second before he was desperate again. “Here-” Lance grunted, speeding his hips, then moving one hand between them to stroke Keith, and that gained something totally different from the other man- he didn’t sound as strained, and his eyes were open again, looking up to Lance through heavy lids. 

“S’Perfect- So good…” Keith whined, and Lance smirked at the praise, leaning to kiss his lower lip as he jerked another orgasm straight from him. “ _Fuck,_ _daddy-_ ” Keith gasped out, eyes rolling back, and Lance’s brows furrowed, eyes flicking up to Keith’s, and when he came down from the short high of his orgasm, it suddenly dawned on him what he’d done. “I-It slipped out- I didn’t-” Keith gasped, but Lance’s thumb just circled the head of his cock, hips pushing up a little harder, dragging the nerves from Keith’s chest. 

“Shut  _ up _ .” Lance murmured, nuzzling into Keith’s neck as he laid a kiss to his throat. “Shut up, and  _ say it again _ .” Lance ordered, and Keith’s body shuddered, body arching, toes curling as he came again. Lance was in disbelief, really, at how Keith could handle something like this. He was also very aware that he was very close, but held off as best he could for Keith. 

“ _ Daddy _ ,  _ more _ ,  _ fuck- _ ” Keith’s voice was absolutely wrecked at that point, sobbing out moans underneath Lance, who was on his last fucking leg at this point, breathing hot against Keith’s neck. 

“Babe, I’m gonna fucking-  _ Carajo- _ ” Lance groaned, managing to draw one more orgasm out of Keith before he jerked his hips back, sitting back hurriedly, cock throbbing horribly. Keith whimpered, trying a couple of times to sit up before he managed it, staring over at Lance with teary eyes. “This is  _ really _ fucking hot and all but- I gotta take a second or I’m not going to be able to help for much longer.” Lance chuckled out, and Keith rubbed his eyes, getting to his knees as he shifted himself over Lance’s lap. Lance’s hands were shaking, cock so hard it was practically purple. “ _ Keith- _ ” 

“ _ Please… _ ” Keith breathed, pushing a kiss to Lance’s lips before he lowered himself down, hands moving to Lance’s shoulders. “I’ve got toys for after just…” Keith mumbled, seating himself on Lance’s cock, hips circling sweetly as he hummed, pushing his face into Lance’s neck. He rose up, thighs shaking, before he dropped back down, and Lance bit his lip, hands tight on Keith’s hips. 

“God fucking damn it-” Lance croaked, still holding back, and Keith kissed his throat, biting down playfully before he sped up his hips, though it was still lacking much speed. “How did you get so fucking perfect, mojaneta-” Lance gritted his teeth, and Keith just kissed him, resting their foreheads together as he spoke. 

“Just  _ come _ already…” Keith pleaded, gasping against Lance’s lips as he bounced off of him, and Lance’s fingers tightened. “ _ Papi _ .” Keith teased Lance’s lips with his tongue, and Lance was gone, body arched up against Keith’s, arms crushing him against his chest. 

“I love you-” Lance moaned out, Keith’s heart seized as felt himself come again with Lance’s words against his lips, but it felt out of body this time, his mind dizzy suddenly, blinking heavily as Lance’s hips jutted up into him, and whatever mumbled to him had fallen on deaf ears. When he fell against Lance’s chest, he let the sudden dizziness take him over, right down to the bed, where Lance tucked him to sleep. 

\---

“I even cleaned you up after, you little shit!” Lance grumbled the next morning, with Keith wearing a nightshirt and clean boxers, cup of coffee in his hands. Hunk just stared at the both of them, and Keith smirked, snickering into his cup. 

“I only remember little bits of it…” Keith murmured, and Hunk’s brows furrowed further, pushing some scrambled eggs around in a pan. 

“You called me Papi!” Lance cried, brows furrowed, eyes wide, fists slamming on the table. Hunk practically choked on his green tea. 

“What the fuck?!” Hunk shouted, whipping around to face his friends, oblivious to the sexual relationship between them- up until now. 

“Lance!” Keith gasped, stifling a laugh as he looked away from Hunk. 

“Oh my god,  _ Hunk _ , you  _ had _ to have known- these walls are  _ not _ that thick!” Lance cried, and Hunk threw his hands up, then covered his face, shaking his head. 

“I wear  _ earplugs _ so I don’t have to listen to you jacking it every night-” Hunk yelled, then his eyes widened, shooting from Keith to Lance then back again, then back to his eggs. “Oh my god, you never were  _ jacking _ it in the first place, were you?” Hunk asked, almost to himself, eyes wide. Keith finally let out a laugh, rolling back in his seat “So what are you, dating now?” Hunk asked, and Lance glanced over to Keith, who just looked nervous behind the big grin. 

“ _ No- _ No, we’re just friends. If you can even call someone who forgets my  _ great sexual endurance _ a  _ friend _ !” Lance grumbled, staring Keith down before he flopped back into his seat. Keith’s grin just faded to a small smile as he looked into his coffee cup, and Hunk plopped a plate down in front of him. 

“But you feel better, right?” Hunk asked, and Keith nodded, picking up the fork that clattered in front of him. “Good. I’m glad.” Hunk sighed, staring at the both of them before he shook his head, sliding a plate down the counter to Lance. “I’m going to eat in the living room so I don’t have to look at either of you while I eat.” Hunk groaned, grabbing his plate and mug to move away from the two men. When he was out of earshot, Lance picked at his eggs for a moment before looking up at Keith. 

“You don’t uh… want to date, right?” Lance asked, and he cursed his wording, almost snapping the plastic fork in his hand when Keith’s eyes fell. 

“No. I can’t.” Keith mumbled, and the awkward, broken exchange was cut short when Lance’s phone rang. He stared at it for a second, looking anywhere but Keith’s face before he got to his feet. 

“‘Kay.” Lance mumbled, grabbing his plate and phone, answering it while he moved to Hunk’s room. “Hola, mama.” His voice was quiet before he shut the door, and Keith stared down at his food before he closed his eyes, covering his face. 

“I want to, I can’t.” Keith whispered, taking a few heavy breaths. “I want to, I think I love you-” Keith choked, getting to his feet to make it into his room before it got any worse. “I’ll take care of you- I love you- Why would you  _ say _ that- like  _ that _ ?” Keith mumbled to himself, trying to control his breathing as he tore his nightshirt off. 

_ Just friends. Just friends. Why would he say that, after that? Did he fucking forget? _

 

“Mama, le dije a alguin que lo amo pero el no me ama. Que hago?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience and comments <3
> 
> “Mama, le dije a alguin que lo amo pero el no me ama. Que hago?”   
>  \- “Mama, I told someone I love him, but he doesn’t love me back. What do I do?”


	4. A Moment Of Silence.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotional exhaustion hits you like a brick wall, doesn't it?  
> (Click the link below for mood music lol)

_ Exhaustion of your mind,  _

_ Paralyzed heart,  _

_ It stopped beating, faded off somewhere.  _

_ A wrenching feeling,  _

_ Some sweetness that you’ve never felt before- _

_ Then nothing.  _

 

_[Were you in love with him?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIN4jQ7TgmY) _

_ I guess you’ll never really know.  _

 

Head resting against the vinyl of the punching bag, Lance took a few deep breaths, hands weakly gripping the material. He’d been going at this for hours now. He’d ignored his phone, but was reminded of the several missed calls and texts from Hunk when he went to change the song he was listening to. He debated on opening up a message to Keith before he tossed his phone back down, his frown settling deeper. Keith hadn’t talked to him in three days. He hadn’t seen him around the house, and the feeling of his absence was cold, uncomfortably so. 

He should let him have space. He probably needed it, after that fucking  _ fiasco _ . 

His fist hit the bag, he let out a breath, and tried to focus on the music blaring in his ears, instead of the aching in his chest. He shouldn’t have let this happen. He shouldn’t have asked Keith if he wanted to date. 

Of  _ course _ he doesn’t, Lance! 

_ Smack _ .

He’s doing fine  _ without _ you! 

_ Smack _ .

He doesn’t fucking  _ need you _ !

_ Smack _ .

_ Not _ like  _ you _ need  _ him _ .

Lance grabbed the punching bag before it swung back, teeth gritting as he held back a roar of anger. He glanced around at the half empty gym, most of the patrons doing their own thing, but he noticed a handful of guys just looking at him like he was crazy. He didn’t need this.

What he did need, was to beat the  _ shit _ out of someone.

Or, for someone to beat the shit out of  _ him _ . 

Either one was fine.

 

Lance got his wish. 

He managed to find a fight last minute, calling people like crazy before he found some club, set up under a dingy bar he had never been inside of. He glanced around at the men around him, and he swore he’d never seen so many cigars in one place before. He tucked his hands into his pockets before he moved to the bar, ordering himself a glass of something fruity before he moved over to a set of stairs, following a steady flow of people. He bobbed down the stairs, ducking into the cellar of the bar, and he smiled, the amount of people around much more than Lance had expected from a place like this. And the man in the center of the ring, pounding the face of his opponent into the ground, was masked. 

God, that’d be fun to tear away when he won. 

“Do we have anyone at all willing to challenge our champion?” A man’s voice boomed over the crowd, and Lance smirked, searching for the source of the voice. It was a man, rather built, dressed from head to toe in dark purple. Was that…? It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t show his face at a fight, would he? Lance shrugged it off, rolling his shoulder before he hooked his bag up on a set of hangers in the corner, praying no one would try to jack his spare clothes. His cell phone was in there too, but really, he could care less at this point. 

He just wanted to disappear. 

He stepped to the edge of the ring, cocky smile spread over his lips. His opponent was very stiff, eyes staring hard into the crowd before Lance raised his hand, and the cold eyes darted toward him. He smirked, then stepped into the ring, nodding to the other man. He took in his posture, but he could barely read anything from him. He could only see that he wore long sleeves, and what looked like… a silver tattoo? No- A prosthetic.

“Oh man, how can you expect me to fight a guy missing an  _ arm- _ ” Lance started, smirk on his lips fading as a hand wrapped around his throat and tossed him to the floor. His brain rattled in his head and he blinked hard, struggling to get back up. “Okay, I take back what I said, I’m totally going to kick your ass!” Lance spat, jolting back before the man could land another punch. 

Okay, so he was  _ fast _ . He was fast,  _ very strong _ , and very much  _ not _ one to take bullshit. Lance felt his heart racing, wiping blood from his nose as he put his fists up. He looked for an opening, and before he could even find one, he was on his ass again, grasping at anything to get himself up. But he was being pummeled, and he couldn’t even understand how or  _ why _ . He managed to get to his feet again, but it almost felt like he let him up, able to find his footing rather easily. He knew this wasn’t going to last very long. 

So with one quick lunge, he reached to tear the mask off, smirking with teeth shimmering red. 

What a mistake that was. 

 

“ _ Takashi- _ ” 

“ _ Champion _ ! Take him out,  _ now _ !” 

 

**_Ding ding ding, we have a winner._ **

 

\---

 

When Lance shot upright in bed, Hunk and Keith jumped about three feet in the air. 

“Takashi! Shiro! Shiro- it was Shiro!” Lance cried, and Keith gripped his chest, still trying to stop the heart attack Lance had just given him. 

“What? Dude, what the fuck?” Keith gasped, brows furrowed. Lance glanced around hurriedly, hands fluttering for something, but what, he didn’t know. 

“The mask- i took off the mask and it was him-” Lance cried again, and Hunk grabbed his shoulder, brows furrowing. 

“Lance…  Take a breath, dude.” Hunk murmured, trying to push him back down into the bed. Lance just pushed past him, getting to his feet, but the blood rushed way too fast into his head and he fell, on his knees in front of where Keith sat. 

“Your brother is  _ alive _ .” Lance gasped out, then dropped his forehead to Keith’s knee. Keith just stared, hands hovering, before he felt tears well in his eyes and he pushed Lance off. Lance tried to stand again, grabbing the side of the bed to hoist himself up. “Keith I’m serious-  _ I’m serious- _ ” He pleaded, but Hunk grabbed the collar of his shirt- When did he get this shirt on?- And shook him, tossing him back toward the bed. 

“ _ Lance _ , you need to shut the fuck up, because what you’re saying is  _ fucked up _ , and you’re upsetting Keith.” Hunk hissed, poking Lance’s chest as he looked up at him, frantic. “Is this a dream you had?” Hunk asked, and Lance shook his head wildly, glancing down to Keith again. He was in hysterics. Lance’s heart fell. 

“Keith I- I’m not fucking with you, It wasn’t a dream i swear to god-” Lance started, propping himself up on his elbows. Keith cut him off, grabbing his face so he didn’t have to look at Lance anymore. 

“He’s dead, Lance, confirmed dead, I’ve got his fucking tags hanging on my bedroom wall!” Keith cried, and Lance backed off, dropping his eyes. “He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone…” Keith murmured, getting to his feet, making his way out of the room. Lance covered his face and dropped back, sighing heavily. 

“I don’t know who you saw, but it wasn’t him, Lance. You went to the funeral. Don’t trivialize Keith’s feelings unless you know something like that for sure.” Hunk sighed out, and Lance shook his head. Before he could respond, Hunk continued, tossing Lance’s phone to him, cracked in half. “ You were passed out on the front steps and Keith dragged your ass up here on his own. He said all you had on you was this, and I know you didn’t do this yourself. Is this why you weren’t answering my calls?” Hunk asked, and Lance just stared at it, then grabbed it, glass sticking into his hand before he tossed it, watching it crack against Hunk’s bedroom wall. 

“My clothes were in my bag, that’s missing too.” Lance growled, and Hunk sighed, rolling his eyes.

“It’s late. Go get some sleep.” Hunk grumbled, and Lance rolled back to his feet, stumbling along the wall and out the door. “Ice your head. Please.” Hunk added, and Lance gave him a thumbs up, moving over toward the couch. Hunk just watched him fall onto it, then shut his door with a sigh. 

\---

Keith couldn’t see straight. He didn’t know what to think, what to even do with himself. He stared at the pair of dog tag’s on his wall, shoulders shaking as he thought about his brother.

Shiro had left five years ago, and only managed to make it home once every other year, and just for christmas. Keith treasured those times like nothing else. When he’d gotten the call that Shiro had been killed in action, his whole world crumbled. He felt so, so guilty. Because Shiro was aiming to get free tuition, for  _ him _ . Every call and visit home was spent on him- they had no other family, anyway. He passed away a little over a year ago. Shiro had been his everything, and now he was gone. 

_ Was _ he gone? 

Keith snatched the tags off the wall and slipped them over his head, slumping back against the wall, staring down at the engraving. He ran his thumbs over and over the metal surface, pushing away the hot tears that fell over the metal, and he sighed, shuddering again. 

Lance wouldn’t say something like that unless he was  _ sure _ , right?

Keith got to his feet after a long few moments, tugging his shirt and shorts off, only to replace them with a different shirt, long enough for him to sleep in comfortably. He wanted to convince himself that it was just a coincidence that it was Lance’s shirt, but he knew deep in his heart that it wasn’t. He stuffed his arms into the blue t-shirt and pulled it down, letting out a tiny sob as he adjusted it past his hips. 

He rested his head on his bedroom door, trying to collect himself, doing his best to breathe right before he opened the door. He didn’t get very far before the tears were back. He moved through the darkness, and he heard a quiet shift on the couch- Lance. The rain on their windows, the link of Shiro’s dog tags, and two faint, uneven breathing patterns were the only noise in the room. Keith moved over to where Lance was lain, crawling quietly over his chest. Lance didn’t say a word, hands sliding gently over Keith’s hips, up his back as he laid on top of him. 

“Did you really see him?” Keith asked, and Lance let out a deep sigh from the darkness, eyes falling. “Lance, did you see him.” Keith asked again, more forceful this time, a statement rather than a question. “Lance-” Keith choked, shifting up slightly, staring down at him, squinting through the blueish darkness.

“I swear I did.” Lance murmured, and Keith’s face screwed up in pain, and he brought his fist down, anger rippling through his fist, connecting with Lance’s shoulder. Lance didn’t move, hands firm on his hips. 

“You’re  _ lying _ .” Keith cried, trying to keep quiet, remembering their friend in the other room. “ _ Liar _ .” Keith gasped, punching at Lance’s chest, then again, and again, weaker with each hit. “Why would you  _ say _ something- L-Like that-” Keith sobbed, and Lance’s hands tightened, Keith’s fists barely brushing his chest before he fell forward onto him. Lance would be lying if he said he wasn’t in immense pain from the fight, but he didn’t want to make Keith feel any worse than he knew he already had. “Why would you lie-” 

“I’m not lying. I saw him, and I’m going to find him for you, and bring him back.” Lance said, his voice tight, hand wrapping up into Keith’s hair. “I’ll bring him back, that’s a promise.” Lance murmured, and he felt Keith tensing up again, so he just leaned and kissed his hair.  _ I love you _ , is what he wanted to say. “I never break my promises.” Is what he really said.

“ _ I hate you _ .” Keith sobbed, and Lance did his best to sooth the tremors running through Keith’s body, rattling his bones and transferring those trembles to Lance, who just sighed, wrapping his arms around him tight before he got the mind to lift him up, ever so carefully.

“That makes two of us, babe.” Lance chuckled, mustering all his strength to bring Keith back to his room. When he finally made it to the bed, the rest of his energy was spent carefully laying Keith back to the bed, then adjusting the blankets over him. When he straightened up, Keith stared at him, so angry in the darkness that Lance couldn’t help but smile. 

“Don’t you dare leave me alone tonight after what you did.” Keith hissed, and Lance nodded, practically falling into the bed. He flopped an arm over Keith’s waist, and Keith just sighed, grabbing his forearm to hug to his chest. Lance held back a laugh, smiling into Keith’s shoulder. 

“Are you going to be mad at me all night?” Lance asked, and he felt Keith tense, then turn over, hands trembling as they moved to cup Lance’s jaw. “ _ Hey- _ ” Lance started, but not before Keith closed the gap between them with a kiss, and it took all of Lance’s self control to pull away. 

“ _ Wait- _ ” Keith tried to pull him back, his voice a helpless gasp before Lance grabbed his shoulders, staring down into his eyes like he’d never seen them before. Keith felt his heart catch in his throat. 

“I can’t do this- you don’t  _ want _ to do this. Don’t use me as a band aid, Keith.” Lance told him gently, and Keith’s breath hitched, eyes wide before he shook his head, pushing back, away from Lance. “I’ll stay here- I promise I’ll stay as long as you need somebody but…” Lance sighed, and Keith’s fists curled into Lance’s shirt, arms outstretched. 

“ _ Why _ ?  _ Why _ can’t you do it? Why are you acting like this isn’t  _ normal _ for us? Is it because I said  _ no _ ?” Keith hissed, and Lance’s brows furrowed, before he propped himself up, glaring down to his feet, practically hanging off the bed. 

“Why are you acting like that’s not a valid reason?” Lance asked, and Keith shifted, eyes falling as he let Lance’s shirt go. “I shouldn’t treat this like something more than it is. I’m sorry.” Lance murmured, his response doing a one-eighty as he reached to pull Keith close. Keith just struggled, pushing his arms against his chest roughly until Lance let him go. 

“And what is it? _ What is it, Lance _ ?” Keith hissed, and Lance slumped, pushing his hands over his eyes. Keith saw him tense, his palms jamming against his eyes as he took deep breaths. 

“Whatever you’ll fucking let it be, Keith.  _ You’re _ the one that said no.  _ Not _ me. I asked to make sure you didn’t feel anything more for me, and you gave me your answer.” Lance grumbled, rolling to sit up, tucking his knees up. “So if you want it to be nothing, it can be nothing. You just need to tell me what you want, so that I can remember to keep my goddamn hopes down.” Lance spat the last bit, then shifted suddenly, turning to get up from the bed. Keith felt his heart breaking, and for the first time since Shiro had gone, he felt the utterly terrifying feeling of someone he loved, leaving.

His arms were around Lance’s waist in seconds, tight but trembling. 

“You promised you’d stay-” Keith choked, and Lance sighed, pushing his arms away gently. When he stepped toward the door, Keith sobbed, swiping for Lance’s shirt again, before he braced his arms on the edge of the bed. “Come back- Come back- I can’t lose another one-” Keith cried, and Lance turned, his movements hurried, pushing Keith back into the bed, wrapping him up tight in his arms to push a kiss to his lips. Self control was out the window at this point. He didn’t know if it was just Keith’s emotions, set off by reliving the loss of his brother, or if he was really feeling something for him. 

But Lance gave in anyway. If it was for Keith, to see him smile again, he knew he had to give in. 

“ _ I’ll stay, I’ll stay _ .” Lance hushed, fingers running through his hair as he let him cry. Keith gripped into his shirt, pulling him as close as he could get, until Lance finally kissed him again, and he stayed this time.  _ You’re not mine, but I’ll stay. _ When he pulled back to breathe, Keith had calmed slightly, but he was still shivering, his eyes dripping hot tears back down his cheeks. “I’m sorry, I’ll stay.” Lance murmured, and Keith smiled, and Lance died, right there on that bed, at three o’clock on a rainy morning. 

He _knew_ he was dead, because he had the most beautiful angel, tucked into him, asleep now in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feelsy short chapter- hope you enjoyed!


	5. The run and go.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He can't take them on his own.

Breathe your hope into me. 

Fill my heart, 

_ My sails,  _

Push me forward because- 

_ I can’t- _

I can’t,

Do it on my  _ own _ . 

 

That was it, he had to find him. 

Lance shifted awkwardly in the much too early morning light, glancing down at the mess of black hair tucked under his chin. He sighed deeply, regretting all the things he had admitted the night before. He regretted staying with Keith because now, he didn’t want to leave. He shifted from the warmth of the other man, swapping out his numbed arm for a pillow. Keith barely shifted, so Lance sighed and smiled, turning to gather his things- it wasn’t much, just his shoes, and a hoodie he must have left behind. He stuffed it over his head and looked around for his phone, grumbling to himself when he remembered it had gotten broken. Those motherfuckers. He had to buy a new one now, and call his mom so she had his new number. 

He turned fast when he heard the clink of metal, the dogtags around Keith’s neck hitting together as he shifted up onto his palms, watching Lance as he moved about his room. Sure, lance had seen him a hundred times before, seen him naked, seen him half clothed and dancing under neon lights in a nightclub but- for some reason, light dusting over his silhouette, illuminating the rats nest of hair on his head, the paleness of his shoulders… something made Lance’s chest hurt more than it ever had. He swallowed back whatever it was, breaking his stare suddenly, turning again, heading for the door. 

“Where are you going?” Keith asked, and Lance swallowed hard again, fingers twitching as he pulled the door open. 

“Just gonna get some breakfast, maybe a new phone.” Lance shrugged, turning to look at Keith again with a smile on his face. “It’s really early though so… you should get some sleep. You had a long night.” Lance told him, before he turned from the room and made his way through the kitchen. Keith was right on his heels, though. 

“I hardly think that’s fair- Your face is swollen. You had a long night, you should ice yourself today-” Keith started, tugging on Lance’s sleeve before he yanked it away, whipping around to glare down at the other man. 

“You’re not my mother, I can take care of myself. Why do you care?” Lance hissed, though he didn’t wait for a reply, sick of the game he’d let himself get caught up in. “Whatever, just, whatever, dude!” Lance growled, and Keith gripped the hem of his shirt, swallowing hard as the front door slammed in his face. He turned slowly, making the awkward walk back to his bedroom. Either Lance was just extra grumpy, or he was getting sick of Keith. 

Keith guessed it was the latter. 

\---

After an overpriced trip to Best Buy, Lance gripped his new phone in hand, crouched against the brick of the building, avoiding the slight drizzle that shrouded their city. He was googling anything he could think of, the name of the bar he had been in, the street it was on, but he came up dry. He took a break from the seemingly fruitless searching to text Hunk his new number. He contemplated texting Keith, but as soon as the text was sent to Hunk, a few moments later, he got a call from an unknown number. He sighed deeply, recognizing the digits. 

“Hola, mama.” Lance sighed into the receiver, only to have his ear chewed clean off by the woman on the other end. He smiled to himself, though. Something about having his mother scold him for not answering his phone the night before was… calming. He just let her talk, responding with apologies every few moments. 

He ran his hand absent-mindedly through his hair, laughing when she suddenly changed the topic to something completely different. After about twenty minutes of talking about nothing but his family, filling him in on what he was missing, they said their goodbyes, and he smiled, chewing his thumb as the line went dead.

“Alright, mister Zarkon, I’m coming for you.” Lance sighed to himself punching the odd name into his google search bar. His eyes widened at the search results, and immediately recognized the mugshot as the man from the fight the night before, the one that had been shouting orders to Shiro. 

That was the biggest mystery to him. Why on earth would shiro fight for someone like that, why would he fight at all? Lance remembered meeting Shiro, a few christmases ago, and he seemed like a gentle giant- kinda like Hunk in the way he always wore a soft smile and never rose his voice for any reason, ever. It had always shocked Lance that he had joined the armed forces, but when Keith explained why he had, it all made sense. He did it to give Keith a better life. 

He snapped from his thoughts and pushed on a news article from three years ago, showing how police had uncovered a large amount of purchases made by Zarkon, worth lots of money, but they couldn’t figure out what was purchased. Lance scanned the article, then the next, and the one after that, brows growing closer together with each click down the rabbit hole. It seemed that illegal fighting rings and drugs weren't the only thing he dealt with. He sighed out loud when he ran out of articles, getting to his feet with an unhealthy sounding crack of his knees.

He dialed Hunk’s number, waiting through two ring cycles before he picked up. 

“Sorry- Your mom texted me like seven times this morning so I just forwarded her your number-” Hunk started to ramble, but Lance just laughed, heading off toward the bus stop so he could catch whatever bus he needed. 

“No, dude, it’s fine. She called me, everything’s good. I need your help, mister fight coordinator.” Lance smirked, tugging his hood up over his head to hide his new cell phone from the drizzle that was clinging to his hair. 

“Oh? Should you really be fighting already? Are you feeling alright?” Hunk’s voice turned to slight motherly worry, and Lance smiled, getting the same warm feeling running through his chest as he got when his mom called to yell at him. 

“I’m feeling good, nothing major. I had to get a new phone and I really need to make up for that cash- can you get me a fight with one of Zarkon’s meatheads? Preferably  _ not _ Lotor. Maybe a newbie?” Lance asked, and Hunk mumbled something to someone before he grunted in response. 

“Yeah just… gimmie a few- Sorry, Keith wants to talk to you?” Hunk replied, and Lance made a crackling sound with his mouth, rushing to the bus stop as the rain picked up.

“Oh-  **_krrk-_ ** Can’t hear you -  **_Ksshhhhk-_ ** Going through a tunnel!-  **_Plshhhsk-_ ** Text me the adress when you get one!” Lance laughed, not waiting for a response before he hung up, dodging a bullet with that one. He could talk to Keith again when he could think about him with a clear head. For now, he swallowed back the lump in his throat. 

Maybe he’d love him back if he found his brother for him? That was probably a bad motive. Just to see Keith being truly happy would be enough, Lance thought. 

\---

Keith grumbled to himself and punched Lance’s new number into his phone to save it in his contacts, rushing around to get himself dressed. He pulled on a clean pair of jeans, then his boots before he started pacing around behind Hunk, who was searching for a fight for Lance. 

“Dude, seriously, he’s not going to want you there.” Hunk sighed, hurriedly typing in a phone number before he pulled the phone to his ear. 

“I don’t care- he’s going to have to deal with it. I need to… talk to him.” Keith grumbled, crossing his arms behind Hunk as he started talking who whoever was coordinating the fight that night. He waited for a few key details, then tugged his jacket on, and he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d left the apartment like this- fully dressed. Hunk turned to try and stop him again, but Keith was already slamming the door behind himself. 

If Lance was  _ actually _ serious about having seen Shiro, he wanted to help him. 

Even if the chase turned up empty, and Lance had just seen him in the daze of getting his ass beat. 

Keith wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least try. 

\---

Hours passed, Lance sitting outside some bar that Hunk had given him the address to, searching through anything he could find to get information of this  _ Amir Zarkon _ guy. He also did quite a bit of digging on Takashi Shirogane, but really only came up with high school records and video’s of him from high school, when he was on the hockey team. 

Then, there was the matter of his  _ ‘killed in action’ _ report. 

It was weird, very odd to lance, that Shiro was labeled as killed in action due to an explosion, though the full body was never recovered. All they could find of him were his dog tags, and a right arm. They hadn’t even brought that back for Keith to bury. Lance remembered that funeral, watching Keith lose his mind for the first time. Pidge and Hunk held him. Lance stayed back. That had been his first funeral. It was probably Keith’s, too. 

He remembered how unfair it was. That Keith had to be the one to bury his brother. 

Lance snapped back to the task at hand, zooming quickly in on Shiro’s photograph. Why, if they had only found his arm and hadn’t even bothered to return it, was he ‘killed’ in action, and not missing? Lance was not the most informed on military policies, but this just seemed… odd, to say the least. 

Why was he working for Zarkon now? And why hadn’t he remembered him?

\---

Lance tore the price tag off of the god awful fanny pack he had purchased, stuffing his cell phone and money inside. He prayed no one took it, and that the ugly exterior would deter anyone trying to snatch his things. He also jammed a number lock into the zipper, sighing heavily. He really did  _ not _ want to have to buy a new phone. 

He hung his bag up carefully on a set of coat hooks in the bar, then hurried his way down the stairs, hair soaked from the rain. He really hoped Hunk had picked him out an easy fight. He needed someone he could beat the shit out of. 

He needed someone he could squeeze information out of easily. 

Ah, perfect. 

He glanced across the messy room, and though he didn’t spot Zarkon, he did see Lotor, patting the shoulder of one very scared looking young man. Lotor’s smile looked terrifying, as if he was a shark trying to trick a guppie to sit in it’s mouth. Lance scoffed, feeling a little bad for the kid. 

Though that didn’t stop him from cracking his knuckles into his jaw. 

He really ran the kid through the ringer, slamming his face against the dirt floor before he jerked him back up, slamming fist after fist into his gut. He only stopped when a ref pulled him off, and he glared down at the kid lying on the ground, curled in on himself. 

Maybe he took it a  _ little _ too far…

He didn’t break his gaze from the kid as he was pulled up from the ground, not when money was pushed into his hand. He followed him all the way until he disappeared out a back door, Lotor dragging him by his arm.

Lance snatched his bag from the hook and followed after him. 

\---

Keith had been terrified. 

He was frozen, watching the hands that held him so carefully, that held him together so often, break someone apart, smashing their worth to pieces. The way Lance wasn’t phased by anything that anyone screamed at him, as if he couldn’t hear their taunts and laughs- or maybe he could, and maybe that was why he beat that poor boy into the ground. 

That, or he just really,  _ really _ wanted that two hundred dollars. 

Keith could bring himself to do some horrible things for a couple hundred dollars, but he felt like he had just watched Lance lose his humanity for a short minute and a half. He gripped his jacket, completely separated from the rest of the crowd as he gasped, watching as Lance pounded his fists into the face of the poor man before the ref finally pried him away. 

Keith shouldered his way through the crowd, only to lose Lance in the sea of people. He moved quickly, breathing hard as the crowd started to shift, moving him toward the exit. He cursed himself, turning himself to rush out the exit, hoping to run into Lance. The bar filled out quickly, and Keith found a quiet place to watch over the sea of people, but still no Lance. 

Where the hell had he gone? 

\---

“Tell. Me. Where. He. Is!” Lance growled, each word punctuated with a hit to the gut. He held the man’s shirt collar in his fist, watching his face twist with every solid, anger driven hit. 

“I don’t know! I don’t know anything!” The man pleaded, and Lance just growled, tossing him to the ground. He curled in on himself, gripping his head as Lance booted him against the wall. 

“Bullshit! Where did Lotor go?” Lance spat, and the man just groaned, reaching out his hand to try and catch Lance’s shoe. 

“I told you I don’t  _ know- _ they only picked me up like three weeks ago man!” He cried, and Lance sighed, kicking hard at his stomach again before he turned, and his eyes widened, face going pale. His smile faltered for a moment, but he brought it into a large smirk, putting his hands up in defence. 

“Oh,  _ gee _ , howdy fella’s- Just uh, teaching our pal here a lesson, ya know-” Lance started, but a large fist gripped his shirt, slamming him up against the brick wall. The poor man he’d beaten scurried out from behind him, running off in the other direction. “Oh man. Uh, can’t we just talk about this?” Lance laughed, but was met with a nice set of knuckles to his stomach. 

“Blue, was it? Lance? Why are you interrogating my fighter?” Lotor asked, a smirk on his lips as he stood back, arms crossed. Lance just kept the smirk on his lips, eyes locking with Lotor’s. 

“Lookin’ for someone you guys have.” Lance grunted out, gasping when he was slammed against the wall again, his head hitting the brick. That was going to bleed for sure. He blinked hard a few times.

“Someone? We don’t keep prisoners, Lance. Who is it you’re trying to find, boy?” Lotor asked, snapping his fingers for the brute to hit him again, which he did, fist jamming against his abdomen. 

“Fuck-  _ Takashi- _ Takashi Shirogane.  _ Shiro _ .” Lance sputtered out, brows furrowing, smile falling as his body slammed against the wall again. He was starting to feel really horrible for kicking that guy’s ass like this. 

“I suggest you refrain from attacking any more of our fighters outside of the ring. Do this again, and I will  _ not _ show mercy.” Lotor hissed, and Lance glared at him, watching him move much closer, his lips brushing Lance’s ear. “Since I love a little fun, why don’t you start looking for your Takashi down by the docks. Maybe you’ll find some clues, who knows.” Lotor murmured, pressing his smiling lips to Lance’s cheeks. Lance’s eyes widened at the hint, mind suddenly running a mile a minute, but Lotor’s kiss slipping closer to his lips woke him up from rapid thoughts. 

“Fucking creep.” Lance spat, jerking away from him, but Lotor just pouted, hooking a finger into the elastic of his joggers. 

“Come now. Is that any way to treat someone who’s trying to assist you, Blue?” Lotor chuckled, and Lance just turned his face away, gripping the wrist of the man holding him to try and break away. “Fine, fine. Good luck on your ghost hunt, pretty boy.” Lotor stepped back, snapping again to get his muscle to drop Lance, watching him crumple awkwardly. “Oh, and your  _ boyfriend _ ?” Lotor started, and Lance’s attention snapped up, brows tight together. “He seemed rather mortified by your performance. I suggest not bringing him along the next time you want to beat someone half to death.” Lotor chuckled, and Lance glanced down the long, thin alley, toward the source of the light streaming into their darkness. He didn’t respond to Lotor, just watched him walk away, disappearing in front of the large, hulking form of his bodyguard. 

Had Keith followed him? And how did Lotor know they were so… close…? 

\---

Keith grumbled to himself as he wandered from the bar, picking at his fingertips as he moved toward the parking lot, toward his bike. Wherever Lance had gone, he didn’t know. He did know that his plan to talk to Lance about everything had been a waste of time. 

“Keith!” Lance cried, hobbling through the parking lot, all the way across the other side. Keith glanced at him, then sighed, stopping right by his bike. 

“I came to see you fight but… didn’t get to talk to you.” Keith said, eyebrows drawing together when he noticed how badly Lance was limping. “Uh… i don’t remember you getting your ass beat… did I miss a second fight or something?” Keith asked, dropping his helmet to catch Lance when he tripped over his own feet. He still wore his wide smile, eyes filled with some kind of hope that Keith hadn’t seen before. “Why are you wearing a fanny pack oh my god.” Keith mumbled, setting Lance down on the concrete. 

“Docks, we gotta go to the docks, okay?” Lance sputtered, smile huge as he started to get to his feet. “Lotor told me where to start looking, that horrible, wonderful asshole.” Lance laughed, and Keith just stared at him, watching him walk toward his bike. 

“Docks… what’s at the docks?” Keith asked, shaking his head as he grabbed his helmet, stuffing it over Lance’s head. “And you can barely walk- I’m taking you home.” Keith grumbled, but Lance grabbed his arm, tugging on it. 

“Please- Please we have to go there. There’s gotta be something there to help find him.” Lance begged, breathing heavy, and Keith’s eyes widened, grabbing his keys from his pocket. 

“Does this… Does this have to do with Shiro?” Keith asked, lowering his voice. Lance just grinned behind the helmet, nodding wildly. Keith hesitated before he climbed onto his bike, sighing as he revved the engine up. “I’ll humor you. Get on.” Keith nodded, and Lance’s smile seemed to grow, climbing hurriedly onto the bike before he hugged tight around Keith’s waist without a second thought. 

“Stop at the apartment first. I need to get something.” 

“What could you possibly need? 

“Backup.

\---

Lance adjusted the holster clipped to his hip, taking a few cautious steps with Keith tight behind him. 

“Please tell me you’re not going to have to use that.” Keith grumbled, ducking under a bit of rotted out wood as they climbed underneath the docks, a place that hadn’t really been occupied by any real boats in a very long time. Now, it was really a place off-limits to the public, though it was a popular area for drunks and the homeless to mull around. 

“I can’t promise anything. I’m a good shot, though. Don’t doubt me,  _ babe _ .” Lance chuckled, tugging his hood up as he crept through the sand, stopping when he heard a cluster of voices from above them- it was some language he’d never heard before. He halted Keith with his hand, tugging his phone out to open up a voice recording. He didn’t understand a word of it, but he knew he’d be able to find someone who could. Probably. He waited, listening to their footsteps fade off before he hit stop on his recording and proceeded, tugging Keith’s sleeve. 

“Lance, I really don’t want to die tonight. Like any other night, I’m totally down, but tonight’s just a bad night for me.” Keith mumbled, but Lance just shook his head, straightening up when they exited the docking area, off toward an odd tunnel, seemingly dried up over time. 

“Like I said before, I’m a good shot. You’re in good hands.” Lance reassured him, glancing back to check on Keith, giving him a small smile. “And thanks for taking me here.” Lance said, pushing ahead, clicking his phone flashlight on as they entered the tunnel. 

“I hope it’s worth it.” Keith grumbled, following Lance down the long, disgusting tunnel. Seaweed had long dried up, with gross spiderwebs clinging to their edges. Barnicles lined the sides of the floor, and Keith couldn’t stop staring down the dark expanse. Unease settled into both of them the second they heard a deep groaning echoing softly from the end of the tunnel. “Oh,  _ come the fuck on _ , what is  _ that- _ ” Keith groaned, but Lance shushed him, lowering his stance as he started to move a little faster. 

“That smell-” Lance groaned, wrinkling his nose as they started to move faster, half jogging now as they cries grew louder. Sobbing, groaning, desperate yelling. What the fuck was going on down there? 

“Lance-” Keith halted suddenly, bending down to grab something rusted- a set of tags, just like shiro’s. He held it up in Lance’s light, cold rushing over his body. “Lance what the fuck is this…?” Keith asked, his hands staring to shake. Lance grabbed it from him, stuffing it into his pocket. 

“We need to keep going.” Lance murmured, reaching out fro Keith’s hand. 

“Right.” Keith nodded, swallowing back emotions to continue going forward, deeper into the never ending tunnel. They ran over what seemed like a very thick, tightly wired grate, both of them passing by it before they realized that they even had. 

Keith was suddenly very aware that Lance was correct, and that they were in the middle of something much much bigger than just finding Shiro. As they gazed down into the tight holes of the grate, both on their hands and knees, Keith felt his throat swell closed. 

“Are those…” Lance murmured, and Keith sat back on his feet, pushing his hands over his face. 

“Who  _ are _ they?” Keith breathed, and Lance shook his head, staring down at an odd sort of prison, each cell with at least one man inside, some with more. 

“How do we get inside?” Lance breathed, rushing to his feet, glancing around the tunnel. It seemed insane, a whole area underground, going unnoticed for who knows how long. Did the police know about this? They had to- how could something like this stay hidden? Keith was left behind on his knees as Lance sprinted down the tunnel, tugging his gun from it’s holster as he rushed deeper, alone, unwilling to stop. 

But Keith was frozen. 

This meant his brother was  _ alive _ . 

This meant his brother had been stuck here, just like these men were now. 

Fire ripped through Keith’s body as he scrambled to his feet, grabbing his switchblade from his pocket, racing after Lance. It didn’t take him long to find where Lance had stopped, pushed up against a wall, right beside a large metal door, seemingly built into the tunnel, free from barnacles or seaweed. 

Lance pushed his finger to his lips, then reached out to knock on the door. There seemed to be a hush from the other side, then the door swung out toward them, a man taking a few steps out into the tunnel. 

“Rico? You back with Chipotle? I’m hungry as hell, man.” The man grumbled, head glancing down the opposite direction from them. Before he could glance toward them, Keith lurched, flicking his blade out, pushing it the man’s throat, which halted him rather quickly. “What the fuck!”

“Didn’t know you had it in you, mullet.” Lance laughed, not wasting any time as he aimed his small handgun in front of him, turning to look over the inside of the room. Keith struggled slightly, but just pressed the blade tighter to his throat as he watched Lance tear the room upside down. There was no other exit, at least not that Lance could see. He did find a desktop computer, and a tiny basket of flash drives. He eyed them before he stuffed them into his pocket, grateful for the large pockets he had all over his jacket and joggers. 

“Hurry it up in there, dude. Anything?” Keith asked, and Lance held up his hand, tearing drawers out, files scattering to the floor. He dug around, rifling through them before he found what he was looking for. He gripped it, then opened the last drawer, finding more dog tags. He swallowed hard and grabbed the few that were there before he stuffed them in his pocket, then sent the computer crashing to the ground. 

“C’mon!” Lance grunted, hurrying from the room. He pushed his gun against the man’s cheek, nodding for Keith to release him, which he did. His heart was racing a mile a minute, watching Keith sprint off before he followed him, keeping his gun on the stunned man before he finally turned, booking it. Keith was still a ways off. But they had a lead. He had a file with Shiro’s name on it in his hand, and who knew that could be on all those flash drives. 

“Shit- Lance- Lance!” Keith’s voice echoed from the darkness, and Lance sped up, gun in one hand, file in the other. As the darkness faded and Keith came into view, he halted, breath catching in his throat. 

“Drop the file, kid. Unless you want your friend to get a bullet for dinner.” Another man, and a set of chipotle bags dropped by his feet. One arm wrapped around Keith’s throat, his foot kicking his knife over toward Lance for show. His gun wasn’t drawn, but his hand was on the holster, noting that Lance held a gun in his hand as well. 

“Oh  _ man _ , your friend was looking for you. He looked hungry.” Lance laughed. “Should I have fed  _ him _ a bullet, you think?” Lance asked, cocking his head. The man’s face twisted, eyes widening. Keith was terrified, but something about the look in Lance’s eye settled him. “But you know,  _ you _ look hungry too. Here-” Lance said calmly, watching the man grab for his gun, but his bullet was between the stranger’s eyes in seconds. 

“What the fuck-” Keith gasped, grabbing his ears, stumbling quickly away from the falling body and toward Lance, who reached out to catch him, righting him.

“I told you you’re in good hands. Let’s go.” Lance murmured, eyeing Keith to make sure he was okay. Keith just stared at him, then nodded, glancing back at the body before he grabbed his knife from the floor. “I have Shiro’s file. And a bunch of flash drives? And tags. I don’t know how we’re going to look at this stuff but-” Lance murmured, and Keith just grabbed his sleeve, pulling him toward the exit, toward the light of their city. 

“I know someone who can help us.” Keith murmured, and Lance nodded, following after him hurriedly. Keith pulled out his phone, dialing a number as they started to jog across the beach. He waited a few rings, then smiled when Pidge picked up her phone. 

“This had better be good, Kogane. I’m in the middle of a campaign.” Pidge grumbled, a few other voices mixing in the background. 

“You wanna look into some stolen flash drives for me?” Keith asked, and he could practically hear the smile coming from the other end. 

“Oh, I thought you’d never ask!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enter my green hacker wife, stage left.


End file.
